Jack and the Pack: Treasure of Mid Sodor
by The Blue Engine
Summary: The Pack has just recieved an important contract to help build a luxury hotel in the Arlesdale Forest. However, everything is not as it seems: their contractor has different intentions for the project and now the Pack is caught up in a deadly fight for treasure buried nearby, each member finding something that adds up to a decade old puzzle and a battle to save themselves
1. Operation Signalbox

Operation Signalbox

The sun rose slowly over Sodor, casting the dark Island into bright, radiant light that helped light it up and get everything in motion for the day. The railways that were the main transport on the Island were already full of busy engines bustling about with early morning commuters and deliveries. On one particular branch line is a large yard where a variety of construction vehicles live. It is the Sodor Construction Company, run by Miss Jenny Packard. There were several different sheds where the vehicles slept and most of them were still snoozing.  
"Come on Alfie, wake up."  
However, two weren't.  
"What is it Jack?" Alfie huffed.  
"We need to wake up!" Jack said huffily, nudging Alfie with his scoop.  
"Why, we don't need to be at the signalbox site for ages." The little excavator groaned. Jack sighed.  
"It's boring waiting till we have to work. I just want to go ahead and starting digging!"  
"Your messed up in the engine." Alfie chuckled.  
"Will you two shut up!" Kelly snapped from the next shed.  
"Sorry." The two said together and started giggling. It was always funny whenever Kelly got mad as his face went red and a cloud came out of his exhaust. A quarter of an hour later, Alfie gave up trying to sleep with Jack whispering in his ear and the night guard allowed them out of yard to go out.  
"First one to the level crossing is the winner!" Jack chuckled and he raced ahead. Alfie groaned and trundled after, but he wasn't as fast as Jack and the front loader was soon out of sight. Jack was having a lot of fun. He wasn't going as fast as the cars that passed him, but he was still enjoying having a bit of a race. He soon came to the level crossing and was surprised. Rosie had derailed at the crossing while taking the milk van. She was blocking both traffic lanes and several cars were honking loudly at her.  
"Oh dear Rosie, what happened?" Jack gasped.  
"Thomas forgot to take the milk with him today and I had to rush it to him but I hit something and ended up derailing." Rosie sobbed. She didn't like having the cars honking at her. "My crew just went for help."  
"I'll get the job done for you." Jack said, smiling.  
"How?"  
"I'll use my scoop and lift you up." He beamed. Just then, Alfie trundled up.  
"Oh my, what has happened here?" The excavator asked, surprised.  
"Doesn't matter what happened, just help me get her back on the tracks." Jack snapped. He moved his scoop under Rosie's first two wheels. He then lifted her a few centimetres above the ground.  
"Wow, your much more heavier than dirt." Jack wheeshed. Alfie raced around and used his scoop and arm to nudge Rosie around so her wheel's were aligned with the track. Jack then lowered her back onto the rails and than the two vehicles used their scoops to push Rosie out of the way. They then quickly moved themselves as they let the cars speed on by.  
"Thanks guys." Rosie beamed. "I don't see why they don't just give you guys the contract now." Jack and Alfie exchanged looks.  
"What contract?" Jack asked. Rosie looked just as stunned as them.  
"Haven't you heard? I would say, but I imagine Miss Jenny will be telling you guys later on." She said. Jack and Alfie exchanged another look and sped off, covering Rosie with smoke.  
"Nice to see you." She spluttered.

When Jack and Alfie skidded back into the yard, all of the other vehicles were awake and were in a semi-circle around Miss Jenny and the Foreman.  
"Now that we are all here," Miss Jenny began, eyeing Jack and Alfie. "I have an announcement to make. Cedric Berrob is the wealthiest man in Sodor. He has made a lot of money before the recession and has managed to hold on to a lot of it. Cedric makes most of his money off of tourists and has built the majority of the hotels and motels around Sodor, built the Sodor Airport a few years ago, arranges the carnivals and has a company that deals with bus tours, helicopter rides, hikes and boat trips. Now, he has plans to build a new luxurious hotel, with a large swimming pool, golf course, helipad, miniature theme park and a river will be used for kayaking." Two men in suits then came out of the shadows. They wore sunglasses and their jackets looked rather bulky.  
"Maybe there's a gun under there." Isabella whispered to Oliver.  
"Don't be daft." Oliver scolded. Isabella giggled and the men stared at here. They had an easel which they set up and place some artwork on it. They were sketches of the hotel. The machines all ooohed and aaahed, gazing at the picture as if it were the real thing. The hotel was ten storeys high and was a creamy colour and had a huge sign over the glass front doors. More pictures unveiled the swimming pool, people going for walks through a forest, a golf course, the miniature theme park which had bumper cars, a small rollercoaster, a water slide and an arcade, and finally, people kayaking through a river.  
"Thank you." Miss Jenny said to the men, who nodded and took the artwork away. Jack and Alfie watched as they got into a black Chrysler 300C and sped away.  
"So that is what we'll be helping to build." Miss Jenny continued. "_If _we do well with the signalbox job. Some inspectors will watch us as we finish the job, compare us to the other teams they are assessing and the best one gets the contract." The Pack cheered loudly with joy.  
"Ok, Nelson will take Jack and Alfie. Thomas will be coming by soon to collect Oliver, Ned, Kelly and Monty. Isabella, please go to Elsbridge and collect some supplies before Percy will take you to the site later on." Jack and Alfie grinned at each other. They loved to ride on Nelson as they got to go past nicer scenery. The transporter rolled up to and braked while some workman unhooked the ramps on the back of his flatbed and flipped them over for Jack and Alfie to roll up on.  
"Come on boys, let's get rolling!"

Nelson liked to move as fast as allowed in order to keep to schedule. Jack and Alfie quickly rolled onto the flatbed and were fastened down before the transporter headed off with a group of workmen in his tray. After a quick trip where they whizzed past houses and railway tracks and sped over a level crossing before the gates were put in front, they managed to reach the signalbox in twenty minutes.  
Two weeks ago Oliver and Byron had come to the site and had knocked down the old signalbox that had been falling apart and the electronics were failing and had led to several delays in recent months. After new wires and power lines had been put in, Buster and Patrick had done a foundation a week ago. Isabella had been dropping off supplies over the last few days and some work had been done and today everything was being finished. Jack, Alfie and Ned were clearing away the debris into Monty and helping to unload the supplies. Oliver and Kelly were lifting up bricks and sheets of corrugated iron for the roof. Once everyone arrived, the work quickly began. All of the machines were keen to impress and worked as fast as they could without causing problems. However, there appeared to be no one watching them.  
"This is rather dodgy." Alfie commented shortly before the lunch break.  
"What is?" Jack asked, as he scooped up some of the last rubble.  
"How there aren't any of those hotel people watching us." The excavator replied as he collected his load.  
"Maybe they are coming after lunch." Jack suggested.  
"The signalbox is nearly finished though." Alfie commented and Jack looked at the structure. All four walls had been completed and the men were now working on the staircase and deck. Ned and Oliver were already resting on the other side of the level crossing.  
"Well, I'd admit it is strange, but I don't think there is anything to worry about." Jack said encouragingly as he raced past the signalbox and came up to Monty.  
"Make it snappy midgets." The dump truck growled.  
"There's not much of the rubble left." Jack snapped back. Both the front loader and Alfie didn't like being mocked about their size.  
"Just bring it here fast, I want to get rid of this load and be back for my break." Monty grumbled. Jack and Alfie dropped their loads into Monty's bucket and hurried back to collect the last of the rubble. They waited while some of the workmen crossed the road after collecting some glass. Monty grew impatient as he watched them going too slowly for his liking. Angrily, he turned and went across the level crossing towards them. Kelly, however, had lowered his crane and was turning around to go for his break. His crane arm whacked into the speeding dump truck and knocked Monty up into the air and he toppled over, the rubble spreading all over the tracks.  
"Monty!" Kelly gasped.  
"Stupid crane, look what you've done!" Monty groaned in pain. The foreman quickly rushed over.  
"Oh dear, this is very bad." He sighed. "Jack, Alfie, Ned, come and clear up the rubble. Kelly, you try and lift Monty so he's right way up." As the machines went to do their jobs, the level crossing gates suddenly started to move. Kelly quickly reversed away as the gates swung around and blocked the machines from getting to Monty.

While the signalbox was being repaired, a signalbox at Dryaw was running the level crossing gates. The foreman called the stationmaster moments after the gates closed.  
"One of my dump trucks is lying on it's side with all of the rubble it was carrying spread over the tracks and the level crossing gates and a stone fence are blocking my team from getting to his aid." He bellowed into his cell phone.  
"A 30-truck train of Toby's has broken loose and is on a runaway." The stationmaster replied grouchily. "We are trying to clear the tracks to give the trucks a clear run and slow them down so Percy can halt them at the harbour."  
"Well what do you expect me to do about my dump truck?" The foreman snapped.  
"Not my problem. You have a crane, surely it's arm can reach over the gate." The stationmaster smirked. The foreman let out a cry of anger and snapped his phone shut.  
"There is a runaway coming and all the gates have been changed to allow the trucks to pass and slow down." The foreman announced to everyone. Monty let out a gasp and look horrified.  
"I doubt Miss Jenny would want to have to pay for new crossing gates and I think it'll be easy enough for Kelly to lift Monty up over the gate." The foreman explained.  
"I am sure I'll be able to sir." Kelly said, smiling encouragingly at Monty.  
"Great. Oliver, Ned, I need you two to try and lift the rubble up." The foreman called across the crossing.  
"We'll do our best sir." Oliver beamed.  
"But Mr Bowlersir, what if the trucks come here before we're finished?" Ned asked.  
"Everything will be fine Ned." Oliver smiled. As the three machines rushed to start work, Jack and Alfie rolled up to the foreman.  
"What can we do to help sir?" Jack asked enthusiastically.  
"Um… just enjoy your break." The foreman replied and hurried away to watch the work. Jack was upset about not being needed and turned around and trundled down the road. Alfie saw him and followed.  
"Do you want another race?" Alfie smiled.  
"No, I just want to be needed instead of us always being seen as too small." Jack moaned. Alfie let out a sigh and followed alongside his friend. They travelled for a few minutes when they heard giggling and laughing.  
"What is that?" Jack exclaimed.  
"It sounds like it's coming from the railway." Alfie said. The two raced to near the tracks and gasped. The runaway train was speeding down the line and the trucks were laughing loudly.  
"We're finally free, we're finally free!" They yelled as they zoomed past.  
"We must get back to the level crossing!" Jack yelled and he quickly turned around and sped as fast as allowed back towards the level crossing with Alfie following. They kept close to the railway lines and were able to catch up to the front of the trucks.  
"We will never be able to outrun them." Alfie panted from behind Jack.  
"I have to try." Jack replied. Up ahead, they could see the construction site.  
"RUN!" Jack yelled. Everyone heard his distant cry and saw the trucks.  
"Someone save me." Monty moaned.  
"I am trying to." Kelly snapped.  
"The trucks are going to hit him." Ned said. Oliver ignored the comment and tried to extend his arm out to help Kelly with lifting Monty up. Jack could see that the crash was unavoidable, unless….  
"Watch out Alfie." Jack cried and suddenly veered away from the wall. Alfie was puzzled, then gasped in shock as Jack turned back and rammed straight into the stone wall. Everyone at the site looked and gasped as Jack drove onto the railway lines and then charged straight into the middle of the train. Around eight trucks smashed into Jack, pushing him down the line and covering most him, the tracks, trees and Alfie with dust before piling up and burying him. The front fourteen trucks were shocked by the crash and managed to slow down but the first three still smashed into Monty and everyone was covered in dust and rushed to avoid falling rocks. Alfie rolled onto the lines.  
"You are such an idiot." He laughed as he started to clear the smashed trucks and rocks off his friend. Suddenly, a car door slammed. Alfie looked around and saw a black Chrysler speeding away from the site.  
"Mwat mis mit?" Jack asked from beneath the rubble.  
"What?" Alfie said, his mind reeling. "Oh nothing, nothing."

It took several hours to clear up the damages. Thomas and Percy brought trucks and Oliver, Alfie and Ned loaded them up with the rubble. Nelson came and took Jack to the works as his right side and roof were severely damaged. Harvey then arrived and was able to get Monty up the right way and helped Kelly lift him onto a flatbed and was taken away by Thomas. The workmen worked hard through this and soon the roof was on and the signalbox was mostly complete. Thomas and Nelson than came back and took everyone home.  
"So, you guys must have had a fun day." Nelson chuckled and his took Alfie and the workmen home.  
"Yeah, it was very fun." Alfie said and laughed as well. "I bet Jack was moaning all the way to the works." Nelson then boomed with laughter.  
"Not really. He moaned at first, but we had to stop by the yard first and Miss Jenny tore into him. I had to move away she was yelling so loud." Alfie chuckled at this. He looked overhead and saw a jet black helicopter flying in the opposite direction.  
"I wonder where that's going." Nelson stated, looking up at the sky as well.  
"I have never seen any black helicopters around these parts before." Alfie said curiously.  
"Maybe Dryaw brought a new one." The transporter suggested. Alfie changed the subject to discuss a different project, but his mind still remained on the Chrysler, the helicopter and the men with the bulky jackets. Eventually they arrived back at the yard. Buster, Patrick and Max were playing soccer with a Swiss ball and trying to score goals between rubbish bins while Byron guarded.  
"Did you guys hear about the contract?" Nelson asked.  
"We got it!" Buster cried exuberantly.  
"Really?" Alfie gasped.  
"Yes, a representative came by about ten minutes ago and said that Mr Berrob thought we worked well under pressure and managed to avoid a much nastier accident with the trucks, and the workmen did wonders with the signalbox." Byron explained.  
"Here comes Mad Max!" Max yelled as he reeved up and hit the Swiss ball, which hit Byron's blade and rebounded off and hit Alfie as he rolled off Nelson. Alfie laughed with the others, but rushed away to think. Something was up with the contract, and he knew that he had to find out.

***

Due to a slight time difference, it was dark by the time the helicopter reached London. It flew over skyscrapers and bright lights before landing on the roof of a rather swanky hotel near Trafalgar Square. A man was waiting for them. He was around six feet tall with neatly combed black hair and pale skin, and was wearing a very tidy black suit with a white shirt and grey tie underneath. His black shoes were shining and the moon reflected off them. The same two men who had been in the Pack's yard that morning got out of the helicopter and walked towards him.  
"Mr Berrob sir, Miss Packard has accepted your offer and will be flying to London tomorrow morning to sign the contracts." One of them said.  
"Here is your artwork." The second said, placing a large art folder on white sheet at Cedric's feet. "We emailed you the news video of the crash."  
"You will easily see how dopey the machines are." The first man chuckled. Cedric cracked a smile and reached down and grabbed the folder with a handkerchief.  
"That is very good to hear. The clumsier they are, the easier they stumble across something." He laughed and walked back to the staircase, opening the door with a different handkerchief. The men climbed back into the helicopter and headed back to Sodor. Neither of them knew what Cedric's full plans were, but the Pack was the most important piece of the puzzle.


	2. Operation Roadway: Part 1

Operation Roadway

The Arlesdale Luxury Hotel was deep within the forests of the Arlesdale Railway and would be built over what remained of the Mid Sodor Railway. Though most people would be getting there by train, Miss Jenny and the Foreman decide to travel there for the first time by road in order to get a feeling of what the machines would be doing each day. The road they were taking went through the town of Ulfstead and past forests and old mines. After Ulfstead the road became rather bumpy due to numerous cracks as well as there being some rubble over the tracks.  
"Do you think we should patch this up before we start work?" The foreman asked.  
"I suppose we could. We do have two weeks until we start construction and we don't have any other projects lined up except for a few small jobs, so Buster and Patrick could do it." Miss Jenny smiled. They went to turn a corner when they hit some rocks lying on the road. The front left tyre burst and Miss Jenny stamped on the brakes. The car screeched and spun… right off the side of the road. Miss Jenny and the Foreman screamed as the Land Rover skidded and bounced down the hill before crashing into a tree. The airbags burst and the two lay on them as steam came from the car.  
"And maybe we could add a few fences." The foreman gasped.

Kelly and Nelson arrived soon to help clear things up.  
"Your lucky that you weren't injured." Kelly smiled. He extended his arm out to it's maximum lengths, lowered his hook which the foreman secured around the roof rack and then he retracted his arm to pull the Land Rover up until Nelson would be able to take over and pull it up onto his flatbed.  
"I am glad I am not injured, but that car cost me quite a bit." Miss Jenny replied.  
"That's why you shouldn't buy the flashest things around." The foreman chuckled.  
"Yeah, like that hefty Rolex on your wrist." Miss Jenny chuckled. Kelly and Nelson laughed as well. It was a few minutes before the Land Rover was on Nelson's flatbed.  
"Are we going to be doing any work on the roads before we start on the hotel?" The transporter asked.  
"Of course, I don't want any more accidents. Buster and Patrick will start work as soon as possible." Miss Jenny explained.  
"They'll love that." Kelly muttered and Nelson smirked. The two took their owner and manager and headed home. None of them noticed what the car had knocked out of the tree.

One Week Later…  
Buster and Patrick came out of Ulfstead and reached the next part of their project; the scene of Miss Jenny's crash.  
"I hate how we got the extra work." Patrick groaned.  
"Oh stop complaining, I am sick of your moaning!" Buster huffed. The two glared at each other and turned away. They usually argued at the start of the working day and ended up talking again by the end of it.  
In order to fix the roads, Patrick moved slowly across the original broken road and spread cement over it. Buster would then smooth it out and they'd move on, doing it in small sections at a time. Patrick preferred doing bigger jobs like filling in foundations and this slow work seemed tedious.  
"You know what." Patrick said around ten.  
"What?" Buster sighed.  
"I don't think that this is really that important."  
"Why so?"  
"Well, most of us will be taken to the site by train, right?"  
"Which train?"  
"Isn't there a railway near the hotel?" Buster let out a low sigh.  
"As Miss Jenny keeps telling you, the Small Railway has SMALL engines that won't be able to take us." Patrick looked affronted and let out a snort.  
"Don't need to get so snippy about it." He huffed.  
"Byron, Max and Monty are coming later to help clear the landslide up ahead so we should try and get the road down to that point." Buster suggested. Patrick's pride was hurt and he ignored Buster and continued pouring concrete. Buster let out a sigh.  
It was going to be a long day.

Jack and Alfie were cheerfully travelling to Tidmouth. There had been an accident with a goods train and they had been asked to help clear up some of the debris.  
"I love doing these small jobs. You get to go out and enjoy Sodor, do some nice dirty work without worrying about stuffing up." Alfie said with a beam.  
"I don't see why you love dirty work so much." Jack laughed. "It's alright but I hate getting completely covered in mud.  
"Are you afraid of a few specks of mud?" Alfie sniggered.  
"WHAT, of course not!" Jack snapped. "Mud's nothing to a machine with determination!" He looked to see Alfie's reaction when he saw the excavator in front of him on the side of the road. "What exactly are you doing?" Jack asked. Alfie turned and laughed before he used his back wheels to spray Jack with mud.  
"So, where's your determination now?" Alfie asked as Jack shielded himself with his bucket. The two were laughing so much they didn't notice three figures approaching them.  
"What are you losers laughing about?" A voice sneered. Jack and Alfie turned to see who was talking; George the Steamroller. George was infamous to the engines, vehicles and machines on Sodor. He had caused several accidents in his time, his most famous one was when he drove into Sir Handel's train. George hated the engines because he wanted to replace all rails with roads, and he hated the Pack because they always worked with them. The other two were Mac and Grudge. Mac was a vicious black dump truck and a relative of Max and Monty's. His dream was to tip tons of sand over the engines of Sodor. Grudge was a large moss green digger and wasn't the brightest tool in the shed and did whatever George and Mac told him to do.  
"We are having fun, something you probably don't know the meaning of." Jack growled.  
"Of course we have fun. Do you think we dislike tearing up for steam buddies rails?" George chuckled.  
"What exactly do you want?" Alfie asked.  
"Your team stole our contract!" Mac snapped. "We worked forever building the new Knapford carpark and you lot waltz in and take our prize."  
"We did a better job! The car park has more holes in it than the moon." Jack snapped.  
"At least we didn't crash into any trains." Grudge chuckled dopily.  
"We aren't here to argue, we are here to destroy some Packard slime!" George leered. The three surrounded Jack and Alfie, buckets raised and an evil look in their eyes. Grudge was about to hit Jack when Henry came up alongside.  
"You three back off!" Henry shouted. "The Fat Controller is already mad at your lot for the Knapford Car park, he'll make sure your team is closed down if you keep up this attitude."  
"Fine then, we'll leave. But you all better watch your backs." Mac growled.  
"Yeah, and your fronts as well!" Grudge added. George and Mac rolled their eyes before heading off as fast as they could. Henry looked to Jack and Alfie once they were out of sight.  
"Don't worry about them, they'll probably be scrapped in a month's time." He smiled and steamed off.  
"I am more worried about what's going to happen before then." Alfie said and the two friends gloomily set off.

Jack and Alfie were soon kept busy tidying up the accident. Harvey and Rocky were on hand to help clean up the trucks and flatbeds that had come off in the accident.  
"Do you think that we should worry about George and them?" Jack asked as the friends scooped up some rocks.  
"Well, they have a reputation for threatening people and occasional violence." Alfie said. "Personally, I don't think we should worry. But there is always a chance that something might happen."  
"That is a rather contradicting statement." Jack laughed. "I think we should go to their yard and give them a piece of our minds."  
"They'll probably crush us!" Alfie gasped.  
"I don't care, they can't go around bullying everyone just because they are too thick to know not to try and drive over wet cement." Jack bellowed. Harvey and Rocky laughed.  
"Ah, that was so funny. I remember the look on Grudge's face when we arrived to get him out." Harvey chuckled.  
"Bloody hard work." Rocky said. "And then I had to carry the loaf on my flatbed's all the way to their yard while he cursed and spluttered." Jack and Alfie exchanged looks.  
"Can you remember where their yards are?" Jack asked while Alfie sighed.  
"Yeah, a dingy old warehouse near Wellsworth." Harvey replied. Jack looked at Alfie and beamed brightly.  
"Well, at least we have directions."

Byron had been a member of Miss Jenny's crew for many years and enjoyed the fun times he had had with everyone… except Max and Monty. The two had been fine for the first few years and didn't muck about much. Then, a few years ago, Buster, Patrick, Nelson and Monty went to work for a big building company in North England where Miss Jenny used to live. Max became very surly after not being chosen and acted out at everyone. When the four came back, Max and Monty started to argue and compete and caused much more mayhem. Today, they were racing to see who could get to the landslide first, but their bickering and scuffling was causing them to go very slowly.  
"I am going to beat you!" Monty chuckled as he slammed into Max.  
"I doubt it; you're slower than Buster going up a wet hill." Max sneered.  
"Well, you're slower than Buster on an icy road." Monty scoffed.  
"Yeah, well, you're slower than Buster…" Max began but Byron tooted his horn loudly.  
"Will you two just shut up, at this rate we'll be lucky to get there before Christmas!" The bulldozer growled and then used his blade to push between the two. Max and Monty ignored him and continued to scuffle.  
The next part of the road was narrower than the rest of the road due to unstable ground caused by the nearby mines. Max and Monty were still side by side, but their wheels were slightly over the edge.  
"You two better watch it because I ain't pulling you out if you fall into a mine." Byron called back.  
"Where will you put the rubble then?" Mac sneered.  
"I'll dump on top of you two." Byron said and boomed with laughter. Max and Monty exchanged looks.  
"He is a bit full of himself today." Monty muttered.  
"We should teach him a lesson." Max said.  
"Sure thing bro." Monty said and they grinned evilly. They charged forward and rammed into Byron.  
"Quit it!" Byron snapped.  
"Sorry, we're just trying to past." Monty chuckled.  
"Your going so slow we'll be lucky to get their by New Year's!" Max sniggered and they rammed into him again.  
"Ok you two, stop it or I'll tell Miss Jenny!" Byron growled and tried to speed up to get past a corner but the dump trucks slammed into him again in his side. Byron left caterpillar track left the road and he began to wobble.  
"Help me!" Byron cried. Max and Monty could only exchange shocked looks as Byron tipped over and slid down the hill.


	3. Operation Roadway: Part 2

The road works were nearly complete, but the landslide was causing the job to come to a standstill. Patrick was still giving Buster the cold bumper and the steamroller was fine with it and annoyed Patrick by whistling.  
"What a beautiful day, wouldn't you agree?" Buster said cheerfully. Patrick gave him the evils and went back to staring intently at the landslide. Buster laughed in his mind and whistled even louder. Patrick's left eye twitched as the tone-deaf steamroller whistled louder and louder. He was about to break the silence to snap at him when Max and Monty sped around the corner.  
"There's been an accident." The two cried as they came to a standstill, tyres screeching.  
"What happened?" Patrick asked as he went back to ignoring Buster  
"Byron fell down a bank and we rushed here to get help." Max cried.  
"Why didn't you stay and pinpoint where he ended up?" Buster asked.  
"Um…well… we thought it would be better to get help first." Monty said quickly. Buster sighed and rolled his eyes.  
"Ok then, take us to where the accident happened." The steamroller said. Max and Monty turned around and the four headed for the site. Buster was strolling behind the others and Patrick couldn't help but laugh.  
"What is so funny?" Buster asked.  
"I can't believe how slow you're going." Patrick chuckled.  
"Yeah, I am pretty slow." Buster replied. "But if you are looking for something funny, I recommend you look for a picture of when you crashed into your own cement." Max and Monty laughed loudly and Patrick turned and glared at Buster.  
"That wasn't funny!" He huffed.  
"Hey, if you can't laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at?" Buster replied and he continued to roll and left Patrick confused. Soon they arrived at the accident. Byron's heavy body had made a mark in the Earth and the four could easily see where he had gone, mainly due to the small trees he had crushed.  
"Max and Monty, go to Ulfstead and contact Miss Jenny to get Kelly and Nelson. Patrick, you go and look for Butch. I'll go and see if anyone is in the area." Buster said. Everyone agreed and they all headed their own way, all four desperate to find him.

Many animals occupied Sodor and they were all cared for and appreciated by the general public. Few buildings were placed near forests and a number of volunteers regularly helped out to keep things nice and tidy. So it was a big surprise for the deer, rabbits and birds living in the Ulfstead forest when a large, yellow machine slid into their midst.  
Byron was dazed and confused as he lay on the forest floor. He was covered in mud and had dents in his roof and blade and had a bush on his face. He looked at the animals near him and honked loudly to scare them away before the rescue operation began. The loud horn caused the ground to shake.  
"Oh son of a b-" Byron cried as the ground collapsed. Byron turned as he fell and he landed on both caterpillar tracks. He looked around and could see he was in a long, dark mine, though there was a small light ahead of him.  
"Hello?" He boomed but only got his echo as a reply. The bulldozer sighed and tried to move. The mud made him slip but his engine wasn't damaged and he began to move slowly into the mine.

Sodor Building Incorporated was a lesser known building company that had been shun to the side after Miss Jenny and her company began.  
They mainly do roads, driveways and cark parks, but have a reputation for causing stuff ups. Due to their lack of income, SBI's yard was a brick building with cracks in the roof and broken windows and a large, rusted, corrugated iron warehouse. Jack and Alfie reached the yard quickly and hid behind some nearby trees while they made their plan.  
"Let's just drive through the door and scare them!" Jack laughed.  
"No, that is too risky." Alfie scolded. "We should take a more subtle approach and don't go in there and scream and yell at them."  
"You're no fun anymore." Jack sighed and Alfie chuckled and they slowly approached the warehouse door. Suddenly, the door opened and they rushed back to the safety of the trees. The two watched as a large digger, around Byron's size, rolled slowly out of the warehouse. It was black and had a grey moustache and was wearing glasses. He looked rather sad, and Jack and Alfie understood as George rolled behind him.  
"We can't afford to keep you so the boss has decided to scrap you." George boomed.  
"I know, you've said that three times already." The old digger croaked.  
"Well I'm glad to finally get rid of you Fredrick!" George chuckled. "Now go to the scrap yard, we'll be there to watch you became cutlery tomorrow."  
"Can't someone take me?"  
"We're too busy for you, old timer! Now bugger off." George hissed. Fredrick turned away and headed towards Jack and Alfie. Once the warehouse doors were closed, Jack and Alfie slowly came out of the bushes.  
"Excuse me, but we heard everything." Alfie said.  
"Would you like a place to stay tonight?" Jack asked. Fredrick was startled by their appearance.  
"No no, I'd best be heading to the scrap yard." He said.  
"But-"  
"No buts youngings, my time has come." Fredrick said sadly. "It was nice to talk to some friendly folk for once." And Jack and Alfie watched as Fredrick rolled sadly away.

The mine shaft was very long and bumpy and bust kept falling onto Byron, causing the bulldozer to lift his blade up to make sure his path didn't cave in.  
"Bloody Max, bloody Monty." Byron cursed. "We'd be better off without them." Slowly he rolled forwards, his eyes fixed on the slowly glowing light up in front of him. Byron was hot and wanted to get hosed off and get fixed up, but the more he thought about getting out, the slower he seemed to go.  
"This is ridiculous." He groaned. Byron decided to go a bit faster, and then he went a bit faster, and a bit more. Soon Byron was speeding through the mine shaft and the light was getting bigger. Byron could smell fresh air and was glad that he was nearly out when his blade suddenly hit a large rock in the shaft's roof. Byron came to a halt and looked up. The rock had been knocked out and had rolled away. The bulldozer thought it was the last of it, but more dust fell on him and he heard a rumbling sound behind him.  
"Oh bugger." He sighed and charged forwards as the roof gave in behind him. Byron yelled out as rocks and dirt fell his back and he could hear more rumbling and crashing. When his blade moved away from one part of the roof, it caved in. There was more light and Byron could hear birds chirping and saw grass. But the weight of the rocks and dirt was holding Byron back and he began to slow down.  
"NOT NOW!" He yelled. Rocks hit his cab roof and he winced in pain but pushed forwards. The light was brighter than ever and Byron could make out trees as well.  
"COME ON, COME ON!" He shouted and with a roar he sped out of the shaft in a cloud of dust. Byron stopped and skidded and looked at the shaft and gasped. The whole thing had now caved in and rocks poured out. Byron coughed and shielded himself with his blade.  
"Glad that's finally over." He said. He turned to look where he was when he suddenly saw Max, Buster and Butch screaming and heading straight for him…

Several minutes earlier…  
Butch the Tow Truck had been dealing with some issues near Ulfstead when Patrick arrived and said he needed help. Miss Jenny had been contacted and was coming over with Kelly, Nelson and a dozen workmen. Buster couldn't find anyone around except for an old couple who yelled at him for crushing their rose bush. The four met up around the crash site.  
"I don't think anyone is down there anymore." Buster said.  
"Don't worry, I know how to check." Butch smiled. He raised his arm up and then threw his hook into the bushes. He did this several times and got nothing, until the hook caught on something.  
"Hmm… this doesn't seem to be a machine of any sort, seems more like a hole." Butch explained. Just then, they heard a rumbling sound coming from around them.  
"What's that?" Max gasped.  
"LANDSLIDE!" Monty yelled.  
"It's not a landslide, the noise is coming from beneath us." Patrick sighed. Buster suddenly smiled.  
"It's a mine shaft! Byron's weight must have caused him to fall into one and looked for a way out… and now could be crushed." The four exchanged shocked looks before charged towards the source of the noise. The ground rumbled more and more and they could feel it moving. As they reached the site of Miss Jenny's accident, the road cracked  
"We're right on top of it now!" Patrick cried. Just as Byron came out of the mine shaft, the ground caved. Patrick and Monty fell into the shaft while Max, Buster and Butch landed on the rubble and moved forwards, straight towards Byron.  
"Bloody hell!" Byron gasped and he quickly raised his blade up to protect himself. The three smashed into him and they all rolled backwards and smashed into a tree.  
"At least you found me." Byron chuckled.

The rescue operation soon began. Kelly and Nelson arrived but additional tow trucks came to help. Kelly lifted Patrick and Max out of the rubble before Oliver and Ned came to clear away as much as possible before a temporary steel platform was placed to allow light vehicles to cross. The tow trucks and Kelly then got Butch out who helped with bringing Buster and Monty back up. Finally, Kelly started to lift up Byron.  
"Jeepers you're heavy!" Kelly gasped as he started to lift.  
"Sorry, comes with the job description." Byron laughed.  
"I don't think you'll be able to handle this." Miss Jenny said, pondering. "The tow trucks could help with some of the weight."  
"We can take the weights of any vehicle." Butch beamed. Workmen attached the tow trucks hooks onto Byron and Butch and his team helped Kelly by pulling on Byron, taking the weight of Kelly. Byron enjoyed being up high and looked down at the forest floor as he rose slowly upwards. He smiled as he saw birds flying, deer running, a bloody human hand.  
"What the-" Byron gasped. He looked backed and could see an arm and the human hair.  
"Finally!" Kelly said and Byron looked around as Kelly lifted Byron over to Nelson, nearly dragging some of the tow trucks off the cliff.  
"I am taking you straight to the repair shed!" Nelson beamed and he started off as soon as the hooks were taken off. Byron just smiled but his mind was racing.  
What was the body doing there?  
How long had it been there?  
How did it get there?  
Byron planned to find out, and gave Nelson's cab the evils as they moved further away from the scene, further away from confirming his suspicions: murder.


	4. Operation Forest

Operation Forest

"Come on come on, hurry up you lot, I don't have all day!"  
If anyone was passing by Arlesdale Station today, they'd find a rather odd scene. A man in a black suit was standing on a cardboard box yelling orders across the yard as three railway flatbeds, full of construction vehicles, were being lifted onto another railway area, except this one was raised up and had smaller engines on it. Edward and Rocky, the crane, had had to make a special journey to do this job and Duck was impatiently waiting for Jack, Alfie, Byron and Patrick to be unloaded so he could get past and collect his passengers. Jock and Frank watched excitedly as Alfie, the last machine, was lifted onto their rails.  
"Chop chop!" Duck snapped. Edward and Rocky sighed and prepared to move. The man in the suit, the Foreman, came over to the four.  
"I don't think we'll be doing that often. Anyway, there is a road down there for you us to follow." He said and climbed into a rusty old ute the company used and drove off. The four machines followed behind him.  
"I can't wait to start on the hotel!" Jack said excitedly.  
"Just don't run into any of the small engines trains." Patrick scoffed and Alfie chuckled.  
"I had to do that!" Jack growled.  
"You could have done it a bit smoother." Alfie laughed.  
"Oh leave the poor digger alone." Byron growled. The three other machines exchanged looks.  
"You've been rather grumpy ever since that incident in the mine." Jack said.  
"I don't want to talk about it." Byron snapped.  
"It's alright if you got scared." Patrick chuckled. Byron stopped and turned around and glowered down at the cement mixer.  
"I saw something out of the cave. I don't care about you and your snivelling little jokes so just shut your face!" He snarled and turned around. Jack and Alfie stayed there, jaws dropped, as Patrick sobbed and reversed behind the two, cowering. Byron rolled around and continued to think about he had seen in the forest…

Soon the four arrived at the site. They were amazed at the filthy, muddy land with a railway track alongside and trees and overgrown weeds.  
"What a picture perfect site!" Jack mumbled and Alfie laughed. All the others were there having come by the road and they quickly joined them. Miss Jenny stood on a step and looked across at the machines and builders.  
"We only have a short time period before the summer holiday makers arrive so we must work fast, but do a thorough and efficient job." She boomed. "Today, we will be clearing the area and making preparation of where things will be going. Cedric Berrob will be here in around a fortnight so we must make sure the pool, golf course and car park are well underway by then. So let's get building!" Everyone cheered and the builders hurried off to get briefed. Some tradespeople started to clear weeds and overgrown bushes from the area while the machines stayed put to get their info.  
"Ok team, today we'll be smoothing over the course and examining the surrounding area to make sure everything will be safe for your weight and to get yourself familiar with everything and, if possible, everyone." Miss Jenny explained. "So ok, Buster you get to work, the rest of you go and see what you could help with." Everyone raced off. Jack, Alfie, Ned and Oliver were instantly assigned to help dig away rocks and weeds and load them into Max and Monty. Byron was told to wait for some work to come his way.  
"If there isn't any thing for me to do, why am I even here?" He huffed.  
"You never know what will happen!" The foreman said as he passed by. Byron sighed and looked around at everyone else working. Then, he realised something. If everyone else was working, he doubted anyone would notice if he trundled of for a little while.  
Maybe even down to a forest.

The work began to slow down around lunchtime. The men stopped for a break and the machines were left on their own. Shortly before the break finished, Miss Jenny came over.  
"Kelly, Max and Monty, you are needed to collect some trees that have blown over." She announced.  
"Of course." Kelly boomed. "When shall we head down?"  
"Straight after lunch, I'll lead the way." Miss Jenny replied.  
"Great, more work." Max huffed.  
"Why not use the lorry?" Monty grunted. Isabella glared at them.  
"I am more than I lorry thank you very much! Besides, my paint would get dirty." Everyone sighed at this point.  
"Ned, you are needed to clear away some rocks over there. Jock is coming to collect them and take them for a train on the Little Western." Miss Jenny continued. Ned beamed with pride: he was going to get a job! The foreman pressed a button on a megaphone which emitted a loud alarm sound to signal the end of lunch. Kelly, Max and Monty headed off with Miss Jenny while Ned moved off.  
"What are the rest of us meant to do?" Isabella sighed.  
"We could look for work." Nelson suggested. Everyone except for him, Oliver and Byron began to laugh.  
"You know what I want to do?" Byron said.  
"What is that?" Oliver asked politely.  
"Go mope somewhere probably." Patrick scoffed. Byron went to charge forwards but the Foreman rushed over.  
"Break it up!" He snapped. "Nelson, you are needed to take Patrick, bricks and men to Ulfstead Road, an accident has caused damage to the bridge and they are needed."  
"Certainly sir!" Nelson smiled.  
"At least I'm away from him." Patrick said, looking scathingly at Byron and he quickly reversed behind Nelson. The others sat in silence, except for some light discussion, and watched as the two set off. Only a few minutes had passed when they heard a whistle. Jock, the bright yellow small engine, appeared from the trees and bushes with several ballast trucks.  
"Hi everyone!" He called out. Everyone smiled at him, but the cocky little engine was intimidated by the large machines he had not seen that often.  
"Hi Jock, how are thing?" Jack asked.  
"WATCH OUT!" Oliver yelled. They all turned to see Ned swing his body around just as Jock got close. The driver applied the brakes but Jock smashed into Ned's scoop.  
"This doesn't feel very nice." Ned moaned. Jock finally stopped, his eyes and mouth open wide.  
"Oh my goodness, I am very sorry!" The driver said. The foreman rushed over and expected the damage.  
"It looks like you'll be out of work for a few days, and we need a replacement." He sighed.  
"I think we should move." Jock said to his driver. The foreman spoke briefly to the driver about calling the Small Controller and then the driver came and prepared Jock the head home.  
"I'll call the Tow Truck company." The foreman said. "But we need a new digger! Any of you know where we can find one?" Jack and Alfie gasped and exchanged looks.  
"We know where to find one!" Jack cried.  
"There is this digger we met, Fredrick." Alfie explained.  
"He is going to be scrapped today."  
"But we might be able to save him." The foreman was shocked but this and rushed over to them while quickly dialling a number on his cell phone. Oliver, Isabella and Buster watched this but they suddenly noticed that Byron was disappearing off down the road.  
"Hey, where are you going?" Buster called as the three began to chase. But the bulldozer ignored them. Isabella huffed and raced forwards and quickly caught up.  
"If you don't tell us, we'll tell Miss Jenny." She said in a sing-song voice. Byron looked at her and slowed down.  
"I am going to that forest to look for that thing I saw." He explained.  
"You can't be serious!" Oliver gasped. "What if you get lost down there?" Byron turned and smiled at him.  
"Maybe you'll have to come with me."

Jack and Alfie quickly explained the scenario to the Foreman, who allowed them to go to the scrap yard along Edward's branch line and see if Fredrick was there. The two raced back to Arlesdale and Bear, who was taking scrap there anyway, offered to take them.  
"Pretty mighty feat to willingly go into a scrap yard." The mighty diesel chuckled as he rattled down the line, the two machines on a flatbed behind him.  
"We need to rescue him!" Jack explained.  
"If we don't, his life and our project could both be in jeopardy." Alfie added. After a while, the train went down a different track and onto Edward's branch line and they soon reached the Wellsworth scrap yard.  
"Here you guys go." Bear said as he came to a halt. "I'll wait around till you get that digger." Jack and Alfie thanked him before they rolled off on ramps and ventured into the scrap yard. There were piles of scrap metal everywhere and they made jagged shadows on the muddy ground. The two rolled through puddles of oil, grease and filthy water, past smashed cars packed on top of each other and a frame that looked suspiciously like an engine. There were large machines everywhere used to crush cars down into small cubes, and a dark warehouse that Jack and Alfie didn't even want to think about.  
"This place is giving me the creeps, are you sure Fredrick would be here?" Jack asked nervously.  
"I am certain, this is the main scrap yard on the Island, though I do hope we find him soon!" Alfie whispered back, but then he saw Fredrick up against a fence. He had already become dirty and he looked miserable. "I see him!"  
"Finally! Come on, let's collect him and then get out of this place!" Jack said, grinning widely. But just as they moved forwards, three figures moved out from the other side of the pile of scrap: George, Mac and Grudge.  
"You two!" George snarled.  
"You three!" Jack gasped.  
"You lot?!" Fredrick cried, speechless.  
"Well this day just got interesting." Mac smirked.

Meanwhile, Kelly, Max and Monty were collecting the trees back near the hotel.  
"This is so boring." Max groaned.  
"I'd rather be doing nothing." Monty added.  
"Oh shut up you two!" Kelly snapped. "While you're waiting for things to get started, why don't you go annoy some woodland creatures." The dump trucks glowered at her but decided to go do something and they rolled away. Miss Jenny saw them moving up the hill and yelled out.  
"Get back here you two!" She shouted. "Things are nearly ready."  
"That's what you said ten minutes ago." Max mumbled.  
"Let's have a race back down." Monty said eagerly.  
"What, a few metres?"  
"Well, we need to do something."  
"Alright, you're on!" Max replied and sped ahead.  
"NO FAIR!" Monty boomed and charged forwards into Max's back bumper. The two swirled down the hill and crashed into the side of the mountain next to them. There was a crashing sound as the part of the wall they hit caved in to reveal a deep, dark cave.  
"I didn't know there was a cave out here!" Kelly gasped.  
"It must have been blocked off, there is probably something wrong with the roof." Miss Jenny replied. "I don't want any of you going down there or there will be big trouble for all of you!" She said, giving a special glance in Max and Monty's direction. Kelly smirked at their crestfallen faces and began to heave the first tree up.

The scene at the scrap yard was very quiet as the Sodor Building Inc team eyed their enemies.  
"So…" George said at last. "Why exactly are you here?"  
"We want to rescue Fredrick." Jack yelled out instantly. Alfie glared at him and then looked back at the SBI's. Mac let out a booming laugh and looked at the digger.  
"You mean that old rust bucket?" He snorted. "I didn't know he'd be useful at anything."  
"You three are just imbeciles who don't know a thing!" Jack growled.  
"We're not impufiles!" Grudge snapped back. George rolled his eyes and moved forwards.  
"I am giving you two ten seconds to move before me and my friends here take you into the warehouse and turn you into a desk weight!" The steamroller roared furiously.  
"We are staying put!" Alfie said, and raised his scoop in defence. Unbeknownst to the others, Fredrick had moved quietly and as fast as possible behind some scrap and was moving behind the SBI's.  
"All right them." Mac grumbled. "Time for a true fight." As the three rolled forwards, Alfie swung around and pushed Jack backwards with his arm.  
"What are you doing? Jack groaned. But his question was answered a second later as the pile of scrap next to them tumbled over and crashed down over George and Mac. Fredrick stood behind the carnage, scoop raised high and he laughed croakily.  
"Take that!" He chuckled before looking at Jack and Alfie through his large glasses. "Thanks for coming, I'd love to join your team."  
"Great, than let's leave!" Jack called and the three rushed for the exit.  
"Don't worry guys, I'll free you." Grudge said dopily and began to clear away some of the scrap.  
"HURRY UP!" Mac roared and began to shake around.  
"Bear, get ready to go!" Alfie yelled. Bear had started to doze off after shunting his trucks and collecting two flatbeds. The guard dropped down the ramps as Bear's driver started him up. Fredrick rolled onto his and Jack and Alfie onto theirs. The driver and guard quickly tied them on and moved the ramps just as George and Grudge burst from their steel confinements. Mac sped forwards but skidded on an oily patch and crashed into several stacked up cars. They all fell over and blocked the path as Bear took the machines back to the construction site.

The rubble from the cave-in had been cleared away and the forest was back to it's usual peaceful self.  
Except for the four machines driving around.  
"I hate forests, there so icky and green!" Isabella huffed.  
"What do you expect them to be?" Buster grumbled as he dragged slowly behind them. Byron let out a chuckle as he continued on, his blade making a clear path for them. He was moving with surprising speed and Oliver struggled to catch up.  
"We haven't found anything yet Byron, why don't we just head back before people begin to wonder where we are." The excavator suggested. Byron let out a sigh and looked at his friend.  
"I need to get closure; I must see what's out here!" He replied.  
"But this has gotten a bit out of hand!"  
"I don't really care."  
"But we're lost!"  
"I DON'T CARE!" Byron shouted and birds erupted from the tree tops, soaring high into the sky and leaving the tense scene behind  
"Wow, calm down." Isabella grunted.  
"I agree with Oliver, I should never have come." Buster huffed.  
"Fine, leave then." Byron growled and the bulldozer burst through a clearing and arrived into a familiar surrounding.  
"Now Byron, wait a minute-" Oliver called, but Byron turned around with a grin on his face.  
"This is where I saw it, look!" He exclaimed and Oliver, Isabella and Buster could see the gaping hole in the hill that represented where this incident had started from.  
"So… so… so there is a dead body here?" Isabella spluttered.  
"Yeah, let's look for it." Byron said excitedly.  
"Umm… I think I'll leave that up to you guys." Buster said and quickly reversed. Suddenly, there was a loud squelching sound and they all looked. Buster gulped at looked at them.  
"Please tell me that I didn't just run over it…."

Midnight, London  
After a long day of drawing and planning, the only thing Cedric Berrob liked to do was to sit in the leather armchair of his penthouse apartment and stare into the electric fire. His shining leather shoes alongside and he had taken off his the black jacket of his suit but left the grey tie on. He poured himself a glass of French red wine and placed the bottle on the side table next to him, along with his half moon reading glasses and one of the many crime novels he was addicted to. Cedric was a man who had a set plan for the day, week, month and year and made sure he sticked to it. He wore the same sort of suit and tie each day, had the same food, went to work for the same amount of hours, watched the news and one of his favourite crime shows, read the same amount of pages of a book for the same amount of time and stared into the fire for half an hour before getting ready to sleep. Suddenly, a knock at the door interrupted his plan.  
"Enter." Cedric said, but he continued to stare into the flames. One of the men who had delivered the art folder on the rooftop many weeks ago entered, this time typing into a blackberry and holding a fax in his hands.  
"Look at this." He said and went to pass the paper over to Cedric who ignored him.  
"You know that the only thing I read at night is my crime novels Jacob." The man replied. Jacob sighed and started to read.  
"URGENT: One of the bodies has been found by the machines. Autopsy being performed to determine which one it is. Will search for the piece tonight." He finished reading and looked at Cedric who had once again not shown any added emotion.  
"Well that is very interesting, I knew those machines would come in handy. Don't bother me until you have the identification and the piece." Jacob nodded and walked away, his eyes rolling. Cedric smirked up and stayed there, his mind racing slightly. He was bothered and got up and went to bed a minute earlier.  
There is always a time for change.


	5. Operation Carpark

It was an early morning at the Packard and Co. yard. The machines were all sleeping in after a long night of discussing the body that had been discovered the previous week Isabella and Buster were snoring loudly as they had been struggling to get to sleep and had to be counselled by Kelly, Oliver and Nelson before having a long rest last night. However, everyone's peaceful rest was interrupted by the arrival of a police car and several news vans. The machines opened sleepy eyes as the policeman went inside to talk to Miss Jenny and the cameramen assembled things and the reporters got ready for their stories.  
"Can't they just go away." Jack yawned.  
"For an hour at least." Byron grunted.  
"We need to get to work sometime." Nelson said.  
"Oh shush, let us sleep for a minute!" Patrick grunted. However, Miss Jenny came out of the office at that moment, slamming down behind her and the disgruntled policeman followed after. The reporters came over with tape recorders or a pad and pencil in one hand and a cell phone in the other.  
"Ok team, I want to get cracking into work today. So today, Fredrick will be coming back from his check up and he will be working with Oliver on digging the underground carpark. Meanwhile," Miss Jenny began but the policeman cut in.  
"We require statements from several of you for our invest-"  
"Anyway, as I was saying, Jack, Alfie and Isabella-"  
"-Investigation about the corpse found in the forest-"  
"-will be heading to the quarry to coll-"  
"- last week and-"  
"Oh for goodness sake, would one of you just finish talking!" Kelly snapped. Everyone looked at him and Miss Jenny stepped forward.  
"So, Oliver and Fredrick are digging the basement, Jack, Alfie and Isabella collecting rock. Buster I need you and Byron to start smoothing out an area where the road will be and that's all the work today. Nelson, could you go and collect Fredrick please? And Oliver, Byron, Isabella and Buster, I need you four to come back here promptly this afternoon for an interview with this ever lovely police officer." Miss Jenny said and smiled sarcastically at the man, who snorted at stormed off with halve the reporters babbling questions at him.  
"Get to work quickly!" Miss Jenny said and quickly rushed through the reporters. The machines exchanged looks and quickly began their work but were worried about what could happened.

An hour and a half later, Oliver arrived at the clearing and looked around. Pegs had been placed for different areas and Oliver could see tons of stuff was going on: several trees and numerous plants and bushes were being removed and placed in trucks on a siding and Buster and Byron were starting work on levelling the area for the driveway. Oliver looked at nice clear, smooth area and was signalled over by a worker.  
"Ok Oliver, I need you to start digging here and dump the mud over there and wait for Max and Monty to arrive. Once you have got the ramp sorted we'll get Buster in here to smooth it out before we start clearing the area for the underground bit." The man said.  
"Yes sir!" Oliver smiled and he moved away and started working. Within ten minutes Oliver had gotten a lot done. He had gotten a good rhythm and was about to dig another area when there was a toot of a horn and Nelson arrived with Fredrick on his trailer. The digger's paint was very glossy and he had new tinted windows. His rusting scoop had been replaced with a nice new one and his glasses had been cleaned and his moustache groomed.  
"Hello then young chap." Fredrick said, smiling brightly. "You must be Alfie."  
"I'm Oliver, Alfie's the little excavator that helped save you." Oliver explained as he rolled over and shook scoops.  
"Oh my mistake, I have become rather forgetful with names." Fredrick chuckled as he rolled of Nelson's trailer.  
"That feels better." Nelson said and Fredrick and Oliver chuckled.  
"Ok, you're helping me out with the carpark." Oliver said and led and the digger over to the site.  
"Seems simple enough." Fredrick smiled and quickly started to work. For a few minutes the two were chatting away like old friends, but suddenly Fredrick turned towards Oliver.  
"Your digging seems a bit odd." He said. Oliver turned, confused.  
"What do you mean?"  
"Well, you appear to be digging on a slope."  
"Well, I am trying to prepare a ramp." Oliver scoffed.  
"I think my scoop would be best suited for that job." Fredrick said warmly. "Why don't you try digging the rest of this area and I'll try doing the ramp, eh?" Oliver smiled and nodded and the two replaced each other. However, the excavator fumed angrily to himself. He had been digging his way from many years now and wasn't going to let an old coot get to him.

Later that day, the foreman rang a bell to signal lunch. Oliver deposited his last load and turned around. He and Fredrick had done good work and a worker had said they had dug to the right level and the ramp was perfectly level. The excavator was pleased with this, but wasn't going to give Fredrick the satisfaction of knowing this as he trundled up the ramp after him.  
"Nice work!" Fredrick said as Oliver rolled past.  
"You two." Oliver replied, putting on a forced smile. Fredrick was suspicious but let it pass as the two came up to Byron, Buster and Nelson.  
"That car park is going along nicely!" Buster said, smiling broadly.  
"Thanks. It shouldn't take too long to finish." Fredrick explained.  
"I bet Patrick is going to love all this extra work." Nelson said and they all laughed except for Oliver who signalled to Byron and the two moved towards one of the remaining trees.  
"What do you think of Fredrick?" Oliver asked as soon as they were out of earshot.  
"He seems alright, why?" Byron replied. Oliver explained about the digging and the bulldozer boomed with laughter before Oliver shushed him. "You're overreacting."  
"But with Ned-"  
"Oliver, you and I both now that Ned isn't the brightest bulb in the box." Byron said with an amused look. Oliver sighed and looked over at Fredrick who was talking to Buster and Nelson and they all laughed at a joke he made.  
"I suppose you're right." The excavator said at least. There was loud laughter as Max and Monty roared into the area, cackling and disrupting several work stations. Byron rolled his eyes and went to tell them off, leaving Oliver to mull things over.

At Anopha Quarry, Jack, Alfie and Isabella were enjoying their lunch as well. Mavis was bustling about with numerous trucks and Isabella looked at her while Alfie went on about mud.  
"Is something wrong Isabella?" The lorry looked around and saw Jack looking at her, puzzled by her unusual quietness.  
"I'm fine." She replied and looked away but could feel Jack and Alfie's eyes on her cab and looked back. "Ok, I don't want to do that interview thingy this afternoon."  
"Well that is understandable." Alfie said.  
"You could try and get out of it." Jack suggested.  
"But how?" Isabella huffed. They all exchanged looks, unsure of what to say.  
"Hang on, I have an idea!" Alfie exclaimed, smiling. "We have to take the rocks to the hotel site, right?"  
"Right."  
"So, instead of going via Ulfstead, we could go via Arlesdale." Alfie finished, a broad grin on his face that Isabella copied.  
"That is a brilliant idea!" She exclaimed. Just then, a worker came over and told them to get back to work. The three scurried off, whispering about their plan, unaware that Mavis had overheard them.

At the construction site, lunch was finished and everyone went back to work. Oliver and Fredrick were doing well with the car park when a workman came up.  
"Hello, sorry to bother you two, but Max and Monty are annoying everyone so I thought I would give them something to do. Could you load them up and _then _we can send them away." Fredrick and Oliver laughed and the worker smiled before going to collect the dump trucks.  
"Here's an idea, why don't you fill them up and I'll keep working on the car park?" Fredrick suggested. Oliver turned to him, a twitch in his eye.  
"That isn't how we do it here, we-"  
"I am aware how you guys do it, but there isn't room here for two dump trucks. I can just raise my scoop up, dump the dirt and dig up the next bit." The digger smiled.  
"I don't think it'll work." Oliver grunted.  
"Could we at least try it?" Fredrick asked. Oliver sighed and turned around and went up the ramp. Max and Monty rolled over, sniggering loudly.  
"What's got your wires in a twist?" Max sneered.  
"Did someone get your scoop dirty?" Monty asked and the two laughed loudly.  
"Get out of my way." Oliver snapped and rolled between the two.  
"Someone's in a mood!" Max boomed.  
"Better leave the nasty old excavator alone." Monty added and they continued to laugh. Oliver scooped up some earth that he had placed there earlier and dumped it into Monty's bed with a loud thud.|  
"Keep it down you lot!" Fredrick said, his moustache aflutter with anger. Max and Monty glared at the digger before whispering to each other as Oliver and Fredrick continued to work.  
"I wouldn't let those dopey dump trucks get to you." Fredrick muttered to Oliver as he put some more dirt up. However, Max and Monty heard him and looked over.  
"Dopey, are we?" Monty huffed.  
"We'll show you!" Max growled and the two quickly turned on a ninety degree angle and rushed towards the ramp.  
"OI YOU TWO, STOP RIGHT THERE!" The foreman yelled, rushing over. Byron and Buster looked over curiously as the dump trucks raced down the ramp.  
"Oliver, do something!" Buster cried out. The excavator looked at the scene.  
"Don't worry, I can handle these two!" Fredrick cried and scooped up a large amount of dirt and tossed it at them. The dump trucks were hit and spun wildly. Oliver rolled slowly forwards to see what was going on when the front of his caterpillar track went over the edge.  
"Whoah!" He gasped as he became unbalanced and started to shake a bit, causing some of the ground to slip away. Fredrick looked up and gasped. Byron and Nelson began to come over but it too late as Oliver slid forwards a bit, rocking more violently. Max and Monty reversed out of the way as a larger chunk of earth slipped away and Oliver tipped forwards and began to fall into the hole. All of a sudden, Oliver stopped in mid air, half his body into the hole. He looked down and saw he had fallen into Fredrick's scoop. The digger was trying his hardest to keep Oliver upright.  
"Hang on there!" He said, his face red and the pain and stress showing. Oliver was shocked by this and quickly stretched his arm out. Fredrick looked at this and saw Oliver putting his arm out onto the other side of the hole and he pushed down to try and force himself back onto level land. Nelson spun around and screeched to a halt.  
"We'll have this sorted out in no time! Nelson yelled. Several workmen rushed forwards, one pulled Nelson's winch over and clambered onto Oliver, causing him to shake, and made the winch into a loop.  
"Don't snap my arm off Nelson!" Oliver cried. Nelson half-smiled and started the winch. The wire quickly tightened and the transporter began to feel the strain. Oliver pushed back with his arm and Fredrick was able to push Oliver up slightly despite the pain in his bolts. Oliver began to feel flat land and quickly reversed and Nelson charged forwards but the two collided, both panting. Fredrick lowered his scoop to the ground with a crash, panting and red in the face. Byron and Buster came over and began whooping and cheering for Nelson and Fredrick, who smiled wearily. Max and Monty got out of the hole and tried to escape but a silver Land Rover pulled up and blocked them from getting out of the hole.  
"What is going on here?" Miss Jenny boomed as she slammed the door of her new car. Max and Monty looked sheepishly at each other while the others laughed.

An hour later the sun started to set and everyone began to pack things up for the day. Several men were staying behind to wait for Jack, Alfie and Isabella. Fredrick was waiting by the railway lines for Nelson to collect him.  
"I think Miss Jenny sent him to the airport." The digger looked around as Oliver came up alongside.  
"Why is he at the airport?"  
"I think he is meeting someone there and collecting them, I am not sure." Oliver fell silent and stared into space. He was about to speak when Fredrick interrupted.  
"I talked to Byron." The digger said, smiling. "It's alright, I have had issues with people trying to change my digging style in the past."  
"Oh." Was Oliver could muster and Fredrick chuckled.  
"Don't need to be so nervous! And tomorrow you can dig whatever way you want to, as long as you don't fall into the hole again." Oliver smiled and the two began to head home and talked about old projects they had worked on and were soon good friends.

There are many things you never want to see on the road. Traffic jams, animals or people going across it, a car crash or some other blockage. A container would definitely fall under the latter.  
"What are we going to do?" Jack huffed. He stared at the large container blocking three quarters of the road as Isabella and Alfie looked for possible ways around. The three had chosen to go past the Haultraugh Forest near Duck's branch line and were being held up by the blockage. The sun was setting and the sky was now a mixture of orange, pink and blue as night began to fall.  
"I bet that Elizabeth dropped it here!" Isabella huffed.  
"It is too big for her to have carried in the first place." Alfie said. "And too heavy for us too move!"  
"Well, we could just go on the grass." Jack suggested. There was a slight hill along the road that made a gap between it and the forest.  
"Fine, but if my tyres get dirty you'll never hear the end of it!" Isabella grunted and she began to trudge through the mud. Suddenly, her left wheels became stuck in some mud.  
"Help!" She yelled.  
"What's wrong now?" Jack asked.  
"Isn't it obvious?" Isabella snapped.  
"We haven't had some good mud in a while!" Alfie grinned and began to dig. Jack helped but the two started to hear a strange noise.  
"What is that?" Jack asked.  
"What's what?" Isabella inquired.  
"It sounds like…. a ticking." Alfie said. The three exchanged looks and looked at the container.  
"AAAAAAHHHHHH!" They yelled and Jack and Alfie dug furiously as Isabella desperately tried to escape. But it was too late. The ticking stopped and the container exploded, blasting the three machines down the hill. They tried to scream but the sound of the explosion deafened them and they skidded away into the forest as bits of melting metal and smoke rose high into the air. The blast was heard across Duck's branch line and at Tidmouth, leaving everyone puzzled. As Jeremy the Jet Plane soared over the scene, he stared down and saw a black Ute rushing away for the scene.  
"Well that's interesting…."


	6. Operation Rescue: Part 1

Nelson was waiting impatiently at the Sodor Airport for the special visitor to arrive. He had been told she was arriving via ship but was being brought to the Airport as it was easy to get to and would show her around.  
"I don't even see why I have to do this!" Nelson grunted as he watched Tiger Moth take off for Dryaw Airfield. As the bi-plane sped away, Jeremy the Jet Plane came in to land. Nelson tucked himself against the main terminal wall and shut his eyes as the plane landed a few metres away but the dust could still reach the transporter.  
"Nelson, Nelson, I need to talk to you!" Nelson opened his eyes and looked to see Jeremy being taken down the runaway towards the hanger.  
"What is it?" Nelson asked.  
"There was some sort of explosion over by the forest near Tidmouth." The jet plane explained. "I was certain I saw three machines getting blasted." Nelson raised an eyebrow but wasn't to sure that anyone would be in that area.  
"I'll head back to base and ask Miss Jenny. If her guest arrives please tell her I'll be back soon." And with that, the transporter sped away into the distance.

***

Mavis was trundling happily along the Anopha Quarry line. She had gotten through a lot of work that day and had just taken her last train to Ffarqhuar and was just heading home. Out of the corner of her eye, Mavis could see Oliver and Fredrick from the Pack heading towards her. She braked at the level crossing as they came close.  
"Hello Mavis." Oliver said kindly. "Have you met Fredrick yet?"  
"No I haven't, but I need to talk to Miss Jenny." Mavis blurted as she suddenly remembered the conversation she had overheard earlier that day.  
"What for?" Fredrick asked, puzzled. Oliver looked at the diesel and Mavis quickly explained about Jack, Alfie and Isabella's plans to take a detour and avoid the police officer.  
"Darn, I really need to get back for that." Oliver mumbled and Mavis and Fredrick shot him a look. "But we need to report those three at once!"  
"Thanks for the tip Mavis." Fredrick said and the two machines headed off. Mavis smiled as they left and continued her journey home.

***

Oliver, Fredrick and Nelson arrived at the yard at exactly the same time and were shocked to find the place crawling with police cars.  
"What's going on?" Oliver said, dumbstruck. Kelly saw them enter and scurried over.  
"There are reports that Jack, Alfie and Isabella were caught up in an explosion at a forest near Duck's branch line." The crane explained.  
"Jeremy was right!" Nelson gasped.  
"Anyway, the police are here interviewing everybody but Miss Jenny is trying to get them to leave and search for them, but they say they are going to set up base here and head out soon." Kelly continued.  
"But they could get attacked or go missing or… or… or…" Oliver stuttered, utterly shocked by what they had heard. Nelson looked at the three and mumbled something about taking the others and rolled away. Fredrick's eyes were fixed on the ground, instantly depressed at the thought of losing the two that had brought him a new life.  
Outside of the yard where the ones who had controlled his old one.  
George, Mac and Grudge were hiding behind the entrance wall, listening intently to going-ons of the Packard yard.  
"Well well boys, looks like we've found something to do tonight." George chuckled.  
"Which is…?" Grudge said and Mac sighed and George turned and looked at him with glaring eyes.  
"Isn't it obvious, we've got some miniature machines to catch."

Miles away, the smoke had cleared, the area was quiet, but the explosion had done its job.  
Jack, Alfie and Isabella were lying several metres into the forest in a clearing, the dying light shining magically on them.  
In the entrance to the clearing was a man.  
This man was unlike most men around these parts. He was very tall and tanned, though the majority of his body was covered up. He wore a black suit jacket over his muscular body and matching black pants. He had chosen to cover his hands in white gloves and wore black polished leather shoes. A black bowler hat nestled on his fair hair and he looked at the wrecked vehicles with dark brown eyes. He looked over at his black 2008 Nissan Titan who looked back it him, its face black to hide it's true identity.  
"Yes boss?" He said tiredly. The Titan was exhausted from the rushing around of that days work.  
"We are going to have to block this off and then take the remains of the container to headquarters." The man said and walked towards the car who managed to move slowly forwards to meet him and the door came open and the man climbed in. "Ok Canton, prepare to cover them." He said.  
"I need a better codename." Canton complained as the black metal cover over his bed folded up to reveal a variety of rusted weapons and machines, along with some small metal tubes and a green sheet.  
"You know we won't get better codenames or gadgets unless this mission succeeds." The man replied, growling. Canton mumbled in agreement as his owner picked up the metal tubes, and began to piece them together. Within a few minutes, there were three wide, two metre high metal stands. The spy covered them in the green sheeting, instantly turning the metal structure into hedge replicas. He put them in front of the clearing: they went in perfectly. Now the three machines were hidden from view if someone drove past.  
"Let's get outta here Alpha." Canton said and Alpha nodded and he hit the accelerator and they sped off, the metal covering reappearing as they raced up the hill. All the remains of the container had been placed into a different part of the bed and the marks left by the blast had been cleared.

It was as if nothing had happened.  
Miss Jenny let out a depressed sigh as she stared at her office door. She knew that she had to go out and listen to what Detective Fisher, the snarky officer from that morning, was saying to the machines, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.  
The past few weeks had been too much for her. Ever since they had received the contract, bad stuff had been happening all around the Pack. She couldn't take it anymore and was seriously considering dropping the contract.  
_No, _She thought. _All that would mean is a loss of money. _Miss Jenny gulped, stood up, and slowly walked out of her office and out into the yard.  
Detective Fisher was bellowing orders, organising the machines into teams.  
"Ok, I want the crane, the dump trucks and the digger to cover the area of the forest closest to the road. The cement mixer, shovel thing, bulldozer and other shovel thing will cover the other side of the forest. Flatbed thing and steamroller, I need you to check the roads." He boomed. The machines all looked cross as they moved off into their respective units. Miss Jenny glared at Fisher and he looked around and sighed and walked over.  
"Yes Miss Packard?" He said with a growl.  
"My vehicles do have names you know." She snapped.  
"I don't have time to name the machines, except for the ones missing." The detective explained and he walked away. Miss Jenny remained where she was standing, mouth wide open, for several seconds before marching forwards. Detective Fisher turned just as she raised her hand and slapped him across the cheek.  
"Don't act like you didn't deserve it." Miss Jenny hissed and marched off. Fisher went to move forwards but was jerked backwards. He looked behind and saw that Kelly had hooked his shirt and was giving him the evils. He looked like he would wet himself and Kelly chuckled and let him go. The other police officers on the scene sighed and muttered to each other. Detective Fisher looked around and made a mental note: Find a way to get some sly revenge on Miss Jenny.

Everyone was heading off a minute later. The majority of the machines headed quickly towards the forest, but Nelson and Buster went off slowly.  
"I could just take you on my flatbed." Nelson suggested, trying to sound friendly, but Buster stared.  
"I know I am a bit slow, sorry about that, but I can't really help it sorry." He said nervously. Nelson nodded and smiled.  
"Sorry, I didn't mean to sound bad." He said. Buster went to reply when suddenly they heard a loud screech. The two turned to see Flora racing past them, wailing loudly.  
"What's that about?" Buster said instead, and the two raced off down the road. They both gasped as they arrived at the scene and saw what had happened.  
Tar tankers lay broken on the side of the tracks as their contents were spread over the railway lines, yellow and orange flames dancing on top of them.  
"Who would do something like this?" Nelson said, speechless.  
"Look, over there!" Buster exclaimed. The transporter turned his attention to a wooden post near the tanker wreckage. Neither of them had seen it before but it was already up in smoke. Words appeared to be printed on it but the smoke was making it too hazy to read.  
"It says something like DROP THE CON but I can't read the rest." Nelson said. There was a loud burst of noise from behind them and the two stared as about six fire engines pulled up.  
"Get back, get back!" One of them boomed. Nelson lowered his ramp and Buster reversed and got up onto the flatbed as fast as possible and the two sped off as the men tried to tackle the blaze.

"Jack… Jack… JACK!"  
The front loader yelled out and his eyes came open in a flash. He instantly regretted it as he began to feel lots of pain all around his body.  
And we appeared to be upside down.  
"What happened?" Jack grumbled, slurring his words. He looked around and saw that he was lying on a forest floor, as there were tall trees everywhere. Alfie was a metre away, lying on his left side with his scoop and three wheels lying nearby. Isabella was the right way up but was missing two tyres, along with her bucket and all her windows were smashed. Both also had lots of dents and severely scratched paint. Jack noticed that his scoop and one of his arms were next to him. Rocks were scattered around them, though it seemed that a lot would have been destroyed by the blast.  
"There was some sort of explosion." Alfie explained in a hushed tone, as if something would attack them if they spook too loudly.  
"No shit Sherlock." Isabella hissed and the two stared at her.  
"I think… I remember." Jack said slowly, straining to remember the events.  
"I don't care about remembering, I just want to get out!" Isabella bellowed. Alfie looked at her and sighed.  
"You do realise Jack and I are sideways and you have no tyres?" The excavator said and Isabella coughed nervously.  
"Well…. Who do you think planted the bomb?" She said, her eyebrow rising. Alfie and Jack looked at her, than at each other, than back at her.  
"Do you think someone planned it?" Jack asked.  
"Hmmm, let's see. There was a container lying in the middle of the road. There was a ticking sound. It conveniently exploded as we went by. I think it was planted!" Isabella squawked.  
"It does seem rather likely." Alfie said. "But who would want to get rid of some machines?" All three exchanged worried looks as the thought suddenly dawned upon them.  
Someone was out to get them.

Night fell quickly, but the rescue operation continued.  
Kelly and Fredrick led the way into the forest, discussing the events as Max and Monty followed behind.  
"It is a highly tragic thing." The crane said, sighing.  
"I have only known them for a short amount time." Fredrick added sadly. Max and Monty, who were already bored with the proceedings, began to mock the two.  
"Oh dear Weddwick, our wiends are missing." Max said in a high pitched tone.  
"I know Kelly, it is so horrible, and I just want to cry about it." Monty added with a girlish voice. Kelly and Fredrick halted as the dump trucks burst into laughter.  
"This isn't a time for jokes!" Kelly snapped.  
"Oh shut up." Max snapped.  
"Excuse me?" Kelly growled, turning around.  
"Calm down guys." Fredrick said, rotating as well as the dump trucks revved their engines. Monty gave the digger a look and he went to back away.  
"Always the coward, eh old timer?" The four members of the Pack froze and looked around, searching for the source of the call. There was a burst of laughter and they looked up. Mac was staring down at them for a higher area of the forest, a wicked smile on his face.  
"Grudge has found your little friends." He called jeeringly. "We may leave some bits behind for you." And he cackled and quickly sped away. Kelly instantly looked at the twin dump trucks.  
"Go after him." He said. "And if they have even been scratched, I'll make sure you two pay." Max and Monty were about to retort but they knew that know wasn't the time. With forced smiles and nods, the two sped away.


	7. Operation Rescue: Part 2

Back at the Packard and Co. yard, Miss Jenny was sitting on a wooden crate near the entrance, slowly sipping at a cup of coffee. Police officers were all around the yard, talking to the press or one the phone to the search and rescue squad. They all seemed very intimidating and Miss Jenny was glad to be away from it all. Several officers were looking at her funnily after slapping Detective Fisher, but most of them knew the stress she was under.  
"Jenny." Miss Jenny looked around, looking for the source of the kind, caring voice. The foreman was standing over her, a sad look on his face.  
"What is it?" She said, leaping to her feet. The foreman shuffled his feet nervously and looked away from her.  
"They still haven't found them yet. But Harold's pilot has reported several suspicious figures lurking around the forest." The foreman explained. Miss Jenny nodded and looked away. "Jenny, you can tell me if you aren't feeling O-"  
"I am feeling fine, thank you." Miss Jenny snapped and she quickly marched away. As she got closer to the gate, Miss Jenny could hear Detective Fisher booming about something. She halted and looked over and saw him talking to the press. Camera lights were flashing and the reporters arms looked like they'd fall off as they held microphones up to the officers face as he spoke, slowly and confidently.  
"….and the photographs we received from several trampers, who were in the general area of the blast when it occurred, show some sort of container in the background. Several police helicopters have not found any container in the area but we hope to find more evidence soon enough." Detective Fisher concluded. One reporter, a woman with long black hair, quickly stepped forwards.  
"Do you believe that this incident is connected to the fire forty five minutes ago?" She said.  
"Though we are not here to discuss it, several witnesses state the incident doesn't seem like an accident." Fisher explained.  
"What about the hotel, do you think it is connected to that?" A tall man with glasses inquired.  
"It seems a possibility, though we have had trouble contacting Mr Berrob." Detective Fisher answered and was about to answer another when Miss Jenny walked over and gave the policeman a shove.  
"Hello, I am Jenny Packard, I own this facility. If you have any further inquires kindly direct them to me." She said with a large grin. Detective Fisher looked like she had slapped him again and the reporters muttered to each other and smirked. Miss Jenny looked at him and grinned and wrapped her left arm around his right. "Come now Jonathon, smile for the cameras." Detective Fisher put on a force smile and the cameras flashed and the reporters began to babble questions and Miss Jenny could only smirk at the detective's disgusted look.

Max and Monty raced through the forest, bushes and branches crushed beneath their wheels. Mac raced ahead, chortling loudly and honking his horn. The rival dump truck kept swerving and blocked their way.  
"You'll never catch me!" He yelled. "Grudge is going through them down the nearest mine shaft!" Max and Monty growled and honked their horns. Kelly and Fredrick followed behind, speeding but going more cautiously than the twins.  
"Don't let them take them!" Fredrick wailed.  
"Don't worry old timer." Monty called.  
"We won't let anything bad happen." Max added. Mac laughed at this and quickly swerved to dodge a tree stump. Max went determinedly ahead but didn't notice it and his front left tyre smacked into it, sending him veering out of control and smashing into a moss-covered boulder. Monty tried to avoid his brother but he ended up hitting a tree trunk. Kelly cried out and sailed between the two and Fredrick came to a halt.  
"Ouch." Max groaned. "I think I broke my face."  
"Oh don't be so pathetic!" Kelly sighed.  
"Well you aren't injured!" Monty protested.  
"I think we should strategise what to do." Fredrick said calmly.  
"Which is…?" Monty said with a snarl. Kelly was about to reply when Max suddenly honked his horn. They all looked at the dump truck, who was staring at the boulder in front of him.  
"Monty, are you think what I'm thinking?"

Mac burst through a bush and screeched to halt; spraying mud around the clearing he had just come into. The large bush was thankfully blocking the view from Nelson and Buster, who were on the road nearby.  
"Oi, watch it!" George snapped. He looked down at the three Pack members that lay in pieces around the area. Grudge stood in between Alfie and Jack, awaiting orders.  
"I am pretty sure I lost the others." Mac said, wheezing.  
"Good, very good." George said, and he turned to the Pack. "Looks like we have finally won."  
"You haven't won yet!" Isabella snapped.  
"And why is that?"  
"There are helicopters all over the place!" Jack cried.  
"They'll catch you before you can even blink." Alfie snarled.  
"If there are all these helicopters, why haven't you been found yet?" Mac said with a snarl.  
"Yeah, why haven't ya?" Grudge added, but everyone ignored him.  
"They'll find us soon enough!" Jack roared.  
"We'll see about that." George snapped. "Grudge, clear away the trash."  
"Gladly boss!" The digger said and he quickly moved towards Jack. "This is going to be very fun."  
"NO!!" Isabella cried.  
Up on the road, Nelson came to a halt, causing Buster to shake about on his flatbed.  
"What is it?" The steamroller snapped.  
"I think I just heard something done there." Nelson said.  
"Honk your horn, get their attention." Buster suggested. Nelson nodded and honked loudly. Grudge halted, his scoop only centimetres away from Jack.  
"That's Nelson!" Alfie exclaimed.  
"NELSON, WE'RE DONE HERE!" Isabella cried.  
"Shut it you!" Mac snarled.  
"Don't just stay there!" George barked and Grudge nodded and began to move again.  
Than, things began to go wrong for the SCI vehicles.  
Mac was about to charge for Isabella, when suddenly Monty burst through the leafy surroundings. The Pack dump truck charged into his rival, nearly tipping him over.  
"Watch it you!" Mac grunted.  
"Quickly!" George spluttered.  
"You go Monty!" Jack yelled. Then, Kelly appeared, his arm extended. Grudge looked up and gasped as he was poked in the eye, effectively forcing him backwards.  
"This is RIDICULOUS!" George roared.  
"My eye hurts." Grudge moaned. Jack looked at him with an angry expression and then signalled at his bits that had fallen off, making the digger blush. Monty and Mac continued to scuffle with each other and George sighed and headed towards Isabella.  
Up on the hill, Nelson and Buster were looking for a way in when Max and Fredrick appeared from between two trees. Fredrick had lifted the mossy boulder onto Max and was using his scoop to keep it in place. The two moved slowly up the hill and stopped until they were in front of the rose bush.  
"READY… AIM… FIRE!" Max yelled and Fredrick moved aside.  
Everyone fell silent.  
Everyone looked towards the boulder.  
George's eyes widened as the boulder crushed the bushes and smashed into his back, annihilating his left wheel and crushing his cab. Monty grinned and pushed Mac into the line of carnage. The dump truck gasped as the boulder hit him, tipping him over. The silence disappeared as soon as it fell as the Pack began to cheer.  
"We're saved, we're saved!" Jack, Alfie and Isabella yelled together. Kelly beamed as Fredrick, Nelson and Max rolled down the hill, chuckling at their fallen rivals. Kelly looked towards Max and Monty and his smile grew even more.  
"Looks like you two finally did good." He said, and the others cheered as the SCI vehicles groaned. Max and Monty looked at each other and beamed.  
And this time, it wasn't deviously.

The next morning, the rescue operation began.  
Kelly and Nelson chipped in and assisted Butch and the other tow trucks with clearing things up. Trevor and Terence also helped out with towing the machines up the hill. Grudge wasn't injured and was escorted away on a police transporter. Everything was going smoothly and Jack, Alfie, Mac and George were soon on flatbeds and were whisked away. Isabella was put on Nelson's flatbed and the two headed home, Kelly, Fredrick and Buster alongside, with Max and Monty moving behind them carrying the broken bits from the machines. They briefly discovered the night's events but the conversation didn't get going.  
"You know what?" Isabella said, breaking the silence.  
"What?" The others said in unison.  
"There aren't enough ladies in the Pack." The lorry replied.  
"Miss Jenny sent me to collect a woman." Nelson said casually.  
"Really, who?" Buster inquired.  
"ME!" A voice boomed, echoing around the quiet area. The Pack members froze as there was a honk something appeared from around a corner. Everyone gasped except for Isabella, who squealed frantically.  
In front of them was a lorry that was practically identical to Isabella. However, this one was a shade of purple and had orange stripes instead of red. Her bed had fencing all around it, and she had a long trailer hooked behind her. Her face was a lot thinner than Isabella's but she had a slightly bigger nose and thinner lips. Her headlights were further apart and she only had two windows at her front instead of several like Isabella. Otherwise, the two were identical.  
"MAGENTA!" Isabella screeched.  
"ISABELLA!" Magenta cried with a thick British accent, and the two lorries let out high pitched, girlish calls, making the others faces screw up in pain. Magenta ran forwards, but reeled back at the state of Isabella. "What happened to you?"  
"There was a bit of an accident." Isabella mumbled, before looking at the others curious faces. "Oh, this is my cousin, Magenta, from London." Everyone said hello and introduced themselves. Magenta seemed very friendly, though she sniffed at Nelson.  
"I went to the airport and no one was there. I stayed there overnight until that jet plane mentioned the whereabouts of your yard. I raced over here but got lost. Thankfully I showed up here!" Magenta said. "Now come on Nathan, let's take Izzy to the works." Nelson's eyes popped and his eyebrows narrowed, but the others just chuckled as he moved forwards with Isabella and Magenta chatting as they went.  
"I think she is going to be interesting." Fredrick said, chuckling, and the others laughed swell.

Unbeknownst to the Pack, Alpha and Canton were watching them, hiding amongst the trees. Alpha was looking through binoculars while Canton was using his extra vision.  
"They don't seem to be fazed by our bomb at all." The ute mumbled.  
"I can see that." Alpha growled.  
"And I think the fire burnt our sign before they could read it." Canton added.  
"I know that Canton." Alpha said, clenching the binoculars.  
"It would have been better if more than just two of-"  
"Oh shut it!" Alpha snapped, glaring at his car. Canton was shocked and he quickly looked away. Alpha sighed and moved forward.  
"Sorry to shout. Its just, if we don't find out what Berrob is doing, that company could go down." He explained.  
"I know, but I just don't think we are getting the point across." Canton said.  
"Don't worry, I'll think of something more effective." Alpha said, winking. He quickly got into the car and they drove off, the agent calling his boss as they moved.  
If they wanted to uncover the truth about the bodies, they had to step things up a notch.

Meanwhile, high in the air, the man the two were discussing was sitting in a comfortable leather chair.  
Cedric Berrob was nestled into the only seat of his private plane. It was a Boeing 757 and was painted pure snow white, making it look like a fast moving cloud. The chair Cedric sat in was identical to the one at his home and office and was just as comfortable. It faced towards a widescreen television that took up half a wall. Cedric mainly only watched movies while he was flying as then he could change movies if he got bored with the other one. He only flew for business, and today was no different. As soon as he heard about the explosion, Cedric arranged to head to Sodor in the morning.  
Cedric was a very clever man. He always knew when someone was out to get him, and the explosion proved that someone was looking for a way to destroy the hotel. And he was looking for a reason to fly over there after receiving news of the corpses discovery only a few nights ago.  
"Do you want a drink sir?" Cedric left his thoughts and stared up at his bodyguard.  
"No thank you Jacob, I'll tell you when I want something. Now start the movie." Cedric said slyly. The bodyguard nodded and scuttled back to his spot. He pressed a remote control and the lights dimmed and a picture came on screen. Cedric smiled and crossed his legs and relaxed.  
He wanted to enjoy himself before the past came out again.


	8. Operation Magenta

The sun was barely in the sky by the time Nelson, Isabella and Magenta arrived at Tidmouth Station. Murdoch was waiting for them, a long line of low loaders and trucks of scrap metal behind him. Jack and Alfie were waiting, half asleep, on two loaders in the middle of the train. Only one of them remained empty, waiting for its unwilling occupant.  
"I wish I could have stayed here to chat." Isabella said, sniffling.  
"Same here. But I'll be waiting for you when you get back." Magenta said. A breakdown crane was alongside the train, and it lifted Isabella slowly onto the low loader. The two lorries continued to chat as she was lowered down.  
"Remember that Elizabeth cow I told you about…" Nelson sighed and rolled up to Murdoch.  
"They're a chatty bunch." Murdoch said timidly. Nelson chuckled loudly, startling the large engine.  
"It amuses me how you dislike sound." The transporter said.  
"It surprises me that you people and machines vehicles don't mind it." Murdoch replied, smirking.  
"Ah, touché." Nelson chuckled. Just then, Magenta pulled up alongside.  
"Come on Nathan, you can take my back now." She said, smiling widely. Nelson mumbled something about his actual name, but the guard's whistle drowned it out. Murdoch chuckled as all three pulled out.  
"See you later, Nathan!" The big engine called jeeringly. Nelson blushed bright red as he raced away, Magenta trailing behind.

Three days later  
Time seemed to be going by slowly, as the Pack members waited for their three friends to return. The team seemed to have given up on the hotel for the time being. Only the previous day Miss Jenny had brought in several tow trucks and forced them to move.  
The leading lady herself was sitting in her office, her heads in her hands. There was a knock at the door, and Miss Jenny looked up, wiping away tears as the door opened. The foreman walked in, a forced smile on his face and worry in his eyes.  
"I heard the phone ring twice, anything interesting?" He said warmly.  
"Well… sort of." Miss Jenny replied. "Good news or bad news first?"  
"Good news."  
"The mechanic called. They have stripped the three of their damaged parts, and the replacements are coming in about a week." The foreman smiled broadly.  
"And the bad news?"  
"Well, I was expecting Cedric to show up the day after this all started. However, his OCD kicked in on the flight and they turned around to go get some supplies he forgot to pack. And he doesn't want to make another flight so want come over until something else occurs." Miss Jenny explained.  
"That isn't too bad." The foreman said, smiling. But Miss Jenny couldn't hold it in anymore. The foreman gasped as his boss began to cry, tears streaming down her face. He rushed over, but she turned away.  
"I just can't handle this stress at the moment." Miss Jenny sniffed. "I think I should go away for a little bit, relax a bit."  
"Smart idea." The foreman replied. "I think you need a break as well, I am sure it will help." Miss Jenny smiled, blinking back tears. Her red hair seemed to glow with happiness, as she turned and picked up her brown satchel bag and left the office.

"Karl… Karl… KARL!"  
Kelly growled with fury as he came to a stop, tyres screeching. He shut his eyes and took in a deep breath, as Magenta pulled up alongside.  
"For the last time, it's Kelly." The crane growled.  
"Well sorry Mr Fussy!" Magenta said, chuckling loudly. Kelly rolled his eyes, but he wasn't surprised. Magenta had been annoying all the machines, mainly due to her shrill voice, gossiping nature and inability to remember anyone's name. She had bothered Byron (or, Brian) the first day, and frustrated Fredrick (or, Franklin) the previous day. Kelly had only agreed to look after her as he knew it would make Isabella happy. But he had instantly regretted his decision. The two were travelling along a road just outside of Hackenbeck, and Kelly had managed to lose her until she caught up once again.  
"I don't see how correcting you on my actual name can be 'fussy'." Kelly huffed. Magenta rolled her eyes, sighing obviously. Kelly's eyebrows rose but he said nothing.  
"Isabella told me how you can be like this at times." The lorry said snobbishly.  
"Like what?" Kelly asked grouchily.  
"Stuck-up. Bossy. A big smarty pants!" Magenta boomed. Kelly's jaw dropped, making her smile.  
"I am not a big smarty-" Kelly began, but was caught off by Magenta honking her horn.  
"What are we doing today?"  
"I am clearing away several old trees near the golf course area." Kelly explained.  
"I see. I can help with that, I suppose." Magenta said, and suddenly sped off before Kelly could argue. Kelly gasped and raced forwards. Magenta giggled, listening to his angry grunts. The crane fumed and started to extend his arm. It moved forwards quickly, and soon reached Magenta's flatbed. Kelly positioned the hook, then pulled. Magenta came to a halt and Kelly reached her.  
"Who says I need your help?" He said, puffing. Magenta laughed loudly.  
"Your panting after a short little pace. You need my help, old timer!" She snorted and sped away. Kelly was too shocked and tired to reply, and moved slowly after her.

At the construction site, things were going slow but steady. More trees and bushes were being removed, the road part of the driveway was complete, and the digging of the basement/underground car park was nearly complete. Fredrick and Oliver were loading up Max and Monty with the last of the dirt.  
"I can't believe what we have achieved." Fredrick said, beaming.  
"Neither can I." Oliver nodded. "If that lorry hadn't been hovering around yesterday, it could have been finished." He finishes and stared at Fredrick, half smirking. The old digger whacked his bucket against the ground in a huff.  
"It isn't my fault she followed me." Fredrick groaned. "She just appeared next to me and wouldn't go away, like when you drive through a field and get cow pats in your wheels." Oliver, Max and Monty roared with laughter.  
"You could have told her to leave." Max said, struggling to talk through laughing.  
"Yeah, she is really weird!" Monty added.  
"Speak of the devil." Oliver muttered. They all looked up, stifling their laughter as Kelly and Magenta passed by overhead. Kelly looked down at them, and they all burst out laughing.  
"Karl, hurry up!" Magenta called, making the others laugh louder. Kelly sighed and raced away.  
"I suppose I should head off, I have to do some digging on the golf course." Oliver said, his face distorted from laughing. "Will you be alright to finish the last little bit?"  
"I'll be fine." Fredrick said, smiling. "I have done more difficult jobs in my sleep."  
"Boastful much?" Monty muttered, and Max chuckled. Fredrick growled at them, and turned away, ignoring them as they left to dump their loads. Oliver chuckled lightly before rolling away. Fredrick muttered as he cleared away some land from the corner of the basement. He dug his scoop in, and raised up a large amount of dirt.  
"Boy, this feels heavier than normal." He mumbled. Fredrick turned around, wishing to drop the mud, but his bucket couldn't deal with the weight. It tipped, causing lots of mud, earth and a square, metal container to fall to the ground.  
"Oh my goodness!" Fredrick gasped. He moved forward, using the side of his scoop to brush mud away. The metal box was black, and had a knob and a handle as well. The digger was about to pick it up when someone suddenly appeared.  
"What do you think you're doing?"

Kelly and Magenta soon reached the site for the golf course. Currently, it was a large, overgrown meadow. There was a loud buzzing noise, as a worker rode on a ride-on lawnmower, eating up the grass. Oliver rolled past the two, smiling warmly, as he headed to his area.  
"There's our site over there." Kelly said.  
"Well let's get cracking!" Magenta said, smiling broadly. Kelly forced a fake smile, and followed slowly after her. Several workers were already there, quickly slicing the dying trees. The two machines watched as they fell, eventually piling up.  
"It's time for us." Kelly mumbled. Magenta gave him a curious look, but the crane ignored her. The workers got out some chains, and quickly tied the trees up.  
"I'm ready when you are!" Magenta boomed.  
"That's great, I'm not." Kelly replied through clenched teeth. The workers exchanged looks, and Kelly angrily tooted his horn at them.  
"Someone's got their winch in a knot!" Magenta said to several of them. They laughed and Kelly snapped.  
"Oh just shut up!" He roared. "Are you incapable of keeping your trap shut for a few moments you dopey cow!" Kelly stopped, and stared. It was suddenly very quiet on the green. Oliver and the workers stared at Kelly, jaws dropped. The wind even seemed to have disappeared, but it's coolness stayed. Kelly gulped and turned to Magenta.  
He had never seen someone look so furious in his whole life.  
The lorry's face was twisted, distorting her beautiful features. Blood red patches had appeared, causing her face to blend with her paintwork. Steam seemed to be pouring out of her like an angry cartoon character, but then Kelly remembered that she is a steam lorry.  
Then, she charged.  
Everyone was too shocked to notice anything: one moment, she was there, the next, gone. White steam covered her as she sped forwards. Oliver gasped, and raced forwards. But he was too late. Magenta smashed into Kelly, who accepted his punishment. The force caused him to roll backwards. But the lorry had been too powerful. As she turned and quickly sped away, Kelly found that his back wheels had no grip. The workers rushed forwards, yelling commands, searching for something to use. But Kelly blocked them out, shut his eyes, and prepared for the pain…

Fredrick turned around, worried about what would come next. But, as he completed his turn, he saw that only Patrick and Buster were there.  
"I thought you had all left." Patrick said suspiciously.  
"No, no… only the others left…. I had to finish digging." Fredrick spluttered. He indicated towards the patch of Earth in the corner. The two nodded in agreement. Fredrick let out a sigh of relief, and Buster saw the black box in his scoop.  
"Where did you find that?" He exclaimed. Fredrick gasped, but turned away.  
"Oh, just some bit of metal I found in the Earth, happens all the turn." He said. Patrick and Buster exchanged looks, then approached him.'  
"Come on Fredrick, just show us it." Patrick huffed. Fredrick wanted to flee, he hated these situations. He knew he could get past Buster, but wouldn't be fast enough to get past Patrick.  
"We aren't going to get you in trouble." Buster said warmly. "We are just, um…. curious." Fredrick looked at the warm hearted steamroller, and nodded. He turned around once more, and emptied his scoop. The metal box landed with a thud on the ground. Patrick and Buster swooped in to observe.  
"It is obviously a safe." Buster said. "And it doesn't look to old, but is still a bit rusted and damaged, so I'd say it was buried a few years ago."  
"What do you think we should do with it?" Patrick said. They all looked at each other, then down at the safe. Fredrick was about to say something, but they all jumped as two horns honked nearby. The digger quickly scooped up the safe, as Patrick and Buster turned to find Max and Monty there.  
"Got our dirt ready?" Monty growled.  
"Oh, yes, that." Fredrick grumbled. "I'll be a tick." He raced towards the corner and nearly smashed into the wall, making the dump trucks laugh. Patrick and Buster chuckled as well, distracting them as Fredrick dug a small hole and rashly buried the safe. Patrick then swiftly reversed over.  
"We'll meet you back here later." He muttered, before racing off to start his work. Fredrick looked at the dump trucks, smiled, and quickly dug up some more Earth.

Kelly opened his eyes. Miraculously, he was alive!  
But he wasn't quite safe yet.  
As Kelly's eyes got into focus, he realised he was on a tilt. There were people running all around him, securing chains and wire to him. Oliver was there, and Kelly could vehicles moving in the distance: Byron and Ned. Kelly looked down, and noticed his headlights were smashed. He then remembered Magenta and wondered where she had gone.  
"What's going on?" Kelly said.  
"One of the trees at the bottom of the hill has taken your weight." Oliver explained. "But we need to move you before it snaps." Kelly nodded, but was suddenly extremely nervous. He didn't think it would be able to hold. Byron and Ned soon came up.  
"Don't worry buddy, we'll sort you out." Ned said, smiling widely.  
"Quickly everyone, we need to get this done fast." The workman supervisor yelled. The workers quickly changed some of the wires onto the machines. Within a minute, Oliver, Byron and Ned had two cables fastened to them each.  
"Be ready to heave!" Byron boomed. Kelly shut his eyes as the supervisor started to count.  
"One… Two… THREE!" Kelly felt a painful jerk, as his friends started to pull him to safety. The crane reminisced about his life, the memories appearing like photo slides on his eyelids. The day he was built, when Miss Jenny brought him, meeting all the new Pack members, tipping over, rescuing Isabella, getting the contract, time spent with Isabella….  
"Come on Kelly, it's all you now." A distant voice grunted. Kelly came back to reality, and realised he was nearly fully back on flat ground. He realised Oliver was shouting to him.  
"What?" He cried.  
"We need you to power yourself a bit." Oliver yelled.  
"Sure thing!" Kelly nodded. He revved his engine, his back wheels spinning uselessly in mid air. But his front ones were working fine, and, with a last great pull, Kelly rolled forwards, banging into Byron.  
"Wow, your welcome." The bulldozer chuckled. Kelly smiled as well, and thanked them all.  
"No problem!" Ned grinned. The workers rushed forwards and quickly took the wires off.  
"I have to scram!" Kelly said, quickly reversing and turning. "I need to sort something out, and fast." The crane gave one last nod of appreciation, before quickly speeding away. The others turned curiously to watch him. As Kelly moved away, dark clouds formed overheard.  
A storm was coming, and it was going to be rough.

Within ten minutes, the rain started to bucket down.  
It fell down in sheets, instantly blinding Kelly and making it seem like he was living in a waterfall. He couldn't turn his headlights on, so it was nearly impossible to see in front of him, except when there was a flash of lightning. The crane looked forward to them: he was able to see what was ahead, and was provided with the sound of thunder a few seconds later, reminding him he wasn't just at the bottom of the sea.  
Due to these factors, Kelly was having no luck in finding Magenta. The road was very slippery, and Kelly had twice nearly had a head-on collision. When he tried searching off road, he would find himself treaching through horrifically muddy plains that would make Isabella scream, and even put Alfie off. As soon as he got stuck, Kelly abandoned that area. If Magenta was anything like her cousin, she wouldn't go near the mud. Kelly had left the construction site far behind, and was searching around the road the two had taken that morning. She had probably fled back to the yard, so the crane decided he'd just go there. He'd need to get his lights fixed before he went back out there.  
Kelly started to head home, feeling tired, sore, and quite sorry for himself. He hadn't meant to have upset Magenta, he had just snapped. These things happened sometimes when you can't hold your anger in any longer. He hoped Magenta would understand, he wouldn't her to be upset… or Isabella.  
There was another flash of lightning, and that was when Kelly saw her.  
There, almost right in front of him, was Magenta. Her purple and red paint was easily visibily through the rain.  
"MAGENTA!" Kelly shouted. But the noise of the storm turned the cry into a whisper. But he was able to see a light: her headlights. Excited, Kelly quickly rushed forwards. As he moved closer to her, he could hear water rushing, it was nearby and running very fast. Kelly realised they must be near the Hackenbeck River.  
"MAGENTA, IT'S KELLY!" The crane yelled again, speeding across the tarmac. Another flash of lightning revealed that Magenta was on the bridge crossing the river, facing the other direction. Kelly sped forwards, splashing through a puddle as moved. The wind picked up as he neared, nearly blowing his arm around. Magenta looked to see him, and huffed loudly.  
"GO AWAY!" She roared, as Kelly came to a halt.  
"I am not leaving until I have apologised." The crane replied. Magenta glared at him, before looking away with a sniff. Kelly noticed that tears were mixing with the rain streaming down her face. She could see him watching her, and let out a groan.  
"I've wanted to come here for so long." She said, her voice cracking. "I hated working back in London. I always got abused by the other machines, just because I was a woman. And I never got given any proper jobs. I would be covered in layers of dust between jobs. It was horrible! I had to get out of there, so I ran away. There was this old farmer that I sometimes worked for, and she thought I was being mistreated as well. She arranged for me to get a lift on a container ship to Sodor. I thought it would be easier once I got back here, but I haven't been taken seriously since I got here. I tried to be friendly, I tried to be nice, but you guys just don't seem to like me. I heard what Franklin was saying earlier, and then you went and pushed my over the edge." Magenta began to cry more furiously. The stayed in silence for a few minutes, listening to the rush of the river, the pouring rain and howling wind.  
"We would have been nice, but you have been a bit clingy." Kelly said, talking quietly and nervously. "We need to work, and it is difficult with a lorry next to us all the time. Plus you keep calling us the wrong name. It is Kelly, not Karl, and it is Fredrick, not Franklin. We would prefer if you got them right." Magenta stared at him, her sobbing ceasing temporarily.  
"I am sorry if you lot can't accept the way I act, but that is just the way it is!" She growled. "If you don't like it, than I might as well go back to London. I'll probably be treated better there…."  
"Hey! We may get a bit snippy at times, but we aren't bad people. If you try and get along with us a bit better, you'd be respected. And, you can hardly talk about being 'pushed over the edge.'" Kelly added, seething. Magenta looked away from, down into the river.  
"Just leave! I can find my own way home." She said. Kelly was going to retort, but decided against it. He started to cross the bridge, leaving her behind.  
That was when he heard the splash.  
Unbeknownst to the two, this was the time of year where the river would get a little higher than normal. Percy had faced the same issue many decades ago. However, the storm had fuelled this ecological issue, causing the river to rise an extra one and half metres. The river and the wind were battering the bridge, and it was struggling to take anymore. As Kelly drove away, a section behind Magenta fell away, causing the splash.  
Kelly instantly came to a halt, and spun around. He could just make out Magenta's face, and she was petrified. However, she wasn't moving.  
"This bridge may collapse, you need to move." Kelly yelled. Magenta looked at him, her eyes wide and fill of fear.  
"I ca-ca-can't move." She whimpered. "One of my tyres, I think it burst." Kelly sighed, and quickly examined her tyres. Sure enough, the front left one was flat.  
"I'll have to pull you off then." Kelly said. Quickly, he started to extend his arm out. But the wind wasn't going to have a bar of it: his arm was pushed to the right. Magenta let out a scream, as more of the bridge fell into the river. The road was starting to crack. Kelly managed to control his arm, and started to lower his hook. Magenta was able to move slightly forwards, and the hook reached her front bumper.  
"Hurry!" Magenta squealed. Kelly nodded, and started to bring her in.  
There was another flash of lightning, and everything went wrong.  
The bolt of lightning needed to hit something, and there was a perfect conductor nearby.  
Kelly's arm.  
The crane let out a cry, and Magenta screamed as well. More of the bridge had disappeared, and she was starting to tip backwards.  
"KELLY!" She screamed. The majority of the bridge behind her had collapsed, and her flatbed was dangling uselessly over the edge. Magenta was struggling to grip on the road, and felt like she was slipping. If more of her body got over the edge, Magenta was going to drag Kelly down with her. There was another crack, and Magenta could feel the ground shifting underneath her. This was it, it was time for her to go…  
The ground disappeared.  
And Magenta was pulled forwards.  
The lorry was stunned. She thought Kelly had been killed! But the crane was still in front of her, very wet and a little sore.  
"How did you survive?" She gasped, and Kelly chuckled.  
"I was Miss Jenny's first vehicle, and she treats me well. My tyres have nitrogen in them to stop them from exploding, and I am heavily insulated as well." He grinned. Magenta smiled weakly, before shrieking as the bridge swayed.  
"QUICKLY!" She yelled. Kelly nodded, and reversed, retracting his hook as he moved. Magenta was yanked forwards, just as the ground disappeared beneath her. Her back wheels smashed into Earth where the bridge had just been, but Kelly raised his arm, lifting her up more. She got back on safe land, and skidded to a stop. Both machines were panting, and stared at each other through the rain.  
"Thanks." Was all Magenta could muster, and Kelly could only smile back.

The rain was dying down back at the construction site, but work had already finished up. It was impossible to do anything in this weather. The basement had practically flooded, and Patrick and Buster hadn't got any work done. But they didn't care about that.  
Fredrick stayed under a tree, hiding as Nelson took Ned home. Then, he moved quickly across the yard, squelching through mud and splashing through puddles. He went over to the ramp, and slid down, crashing into the water.  
"Jeepers! That could fry my engine." The digger huffed, his moustache soaked. Patrick and Buster laughed.  
"Come on, start digging!" Patrick said, turning to the right corner of the basement. Fredrick drove through the water, rain adding to his discomfort. He reached the corner and moved his shovel across.  
"Found it!" He exclaimed. With one swift movement, Fredrick moved the dirt of the safe. Water instantly poured in, and he quickly scooped it out. The safe was now very wet, but the contents hopefully weren't.  
"What are we going to do with it now?" Buster said, staring in awe at it.  
"I think we should move it to a different position." Fredrick suggested. Patrick scoffed at this.  
"Your engine probably has been fried!" The cement mixer growled. "Why should we bury it again?"  
"It would be easier to keep it hidden if we find a better place to hide it." Fredrick said. "And if we hide it, we can find out it's true purpose."  
"I agree with him." Buster said. The two looked at Patrick, who sighed and nodded.  
"Good show! Now, let's go do it and head home before they start to worry." Fredrick said, grinning. The three cheered and began to move. But they were all unaware that Rex and Mike from the Small Railway had driven past, and heard every word.

Kelly and Magenta were moving quickly through the storm, desperate to get back and tell everyone about their adventure. The lorry was able to move, but Kelly warned her not to put too much pressure on it.  
"That was the most thrilling thing I have ever done!" Magenta said, her eyes gleaming and her mouth in a wide smile.  
"You have to get use to those sorts of things around here." Kelly chuckled, and the two started to laugh. And they continued to laugh as they travelled down the road. It wasn't into Kelly bumped into someone that they halted. Another lorry was right next to them, looking very displeased.  
"Oh, sorry Elizabeth." Kelly said, struggling to stop laughing. Elizabeth raised an eyebrow.  
"Quite alright Kelly. Just watch were you're going next time!" She growled. She then looked at Magenta. "Oh great, another one." Magenta's haw dropped, and Kelly started laughing again as Elizabeth chugged away.  
"Rude old bat!" Magenta scoffed.  
"Oh ignore Elizabeth, she is always like that." Kelly said, moving off again. Magenta got a smirk on her face, and quickly followed.  
"Got the hots for her have you?" Kelly look instantly repulsed.  
"Dear god no!" He said, and Magenta laughed.  
"Yeah, I know you love Isabella." She said. Kelly halted, and the lorry rushed off.  
"Hey, come back!" He called, and chased after. Magenta giggled and squealed in delight, and splashed through several puddles to blind him. Kelly tried to catch up, but Magenta was skidding across the road. But all the air left in her tyre left. Magenta started to skid across the road, wailing in fright. Kelly watched in horror as Magenta left the road, smashing through a wooden fence. Her flatbed smashed into a tree, and the lorry herself smashed into the other side. Kelly raced forwards, hoping the nights drama was over. But then he froze, staring up into the tree as something pale started to appear. With the rustle of leaves and sickening thump, a corpse rolled out of the tree and onto Magenta's flatbed. Magenta looked around at Kelly.  
"Please tell me that something gross didn't just touch my flatbed." Kelly stared at the pale, lifeless figure, wearing sodden black shorts and a brown vest, the skin rotting and hairless.  
"Define gross."


	9. Operation High Skies

The storm that Kelly and Magenta suffered through continued to rage on. The foreman ordered the Pack to continue to work, but after a week, the area was a muddy bog, making it impossible to move across the proposed car park without getting stuck. The machines were kept inside the yard, and where allowed to play during the day. But half the time the machines were all talking about one topic: the second body.  
When the body fell onto Magenta's flatbed, Kelly had rushed to find assistance. Thankfully, he was able to find Fredrick, Patrick and Buster on their way home. Buster and Patrick stayed with Magenta while Kelly and Fredrick went to the yard and police. Detective Fisher and the Foreman arrived at the same time, and Cedric Berrob was called shortly after. The body was taken away, and Magenta and Fredrick had seen the police looking very puzzled about something. But before they could ask them about it, they were told to go back to their yard, leaving the five machines rather deflated.  
For two weeks, the machines had been exchanging theories. They all agreed that the two murders were connected, but none of them could work out why they had been killed, what had puzzled the police, or whether it was connected to the construction or not. Detective Fisher kept sniffing around, questioning the foreman, Kelly and Magenta, and would snap at them if he caught them gossiping about the situation.  
After a fortnight, the rain had died down. Miss Jenny was expected to come back soon, so the Foreman was still in charge.  
"Everyone, I need you over here right now." He yelled, walking out of his office. The machines rolled over, looking curious.  
"The storm has died down enough for us to continue our work." He said, and half the machines smiled, while the others groaned, and the foreman chuckled. "However, some of you won't be going back to the forest today."  
"What do you mean, another day off?" Max asked eagerly, and the others laughed.  
"No no, you aren't that lucky." The foreman continued. "Several days ago, one of the lorries at the airport lost control, crashing into the control tower. It held up, but the strong winds last night and the bad foundations caused it to tip over and crash. The runway is now badly cracked, and the first plane of the week is coming in very soon. I need Patrick, Buster, Kelly and Magenta to go to the airport and clean up."  
"Of course sir, but I think we'd need a digger." Kelly said.  
"I'd gladly help." Oliver said.  
"I need you to start working on the arcade area of the hotel with Byron." The foreman replied. "However, you can help later on. But, there will be some assistance at the airport for you." The Pack all exchanged looks, interested. "Ok, Fredrick, you can clear away landslides at the site, Max and Monty will take it away. Ned, you can help clean away the tree branches that had fallen. Rex will be dropping of a pump to drain the basement soon." There was the crunch of gravel, and the machines all turned to see a police car pulling up. "I recommend you all leave before Detective Fisher decides to have a chat. Nelson, I'd like you to stay behind."  
"Someone's in trouble." Monty giggled, and Nelson shot him the evils. The machines quickly left the yard, and then rolled off in their separate directions.

The airport group was making good time, and was nearing the airport in no time. Patrick and Buster were deep in discussion, but Kelly was speeding ahead, wanting to get there quickly to please Miss Jenny when she came back. However, Magenta insisted on trying to catch up.  
"So, what do you think about the body?" She asked.  
"Is there really nothing else to talk about?" Kelly snapped, and Magenta raised an eyebrow.  
"Well, someone has their wires in a knot." The lorry smirked, and Kelly sighed and slowed down.  
"Sorry, it is just that that is all I have heard about for two weeks." The crane explained. "I would just like to discuss something else for a change."  
"Ok, sure." Magenta said, smiling deviously. "Why don't we continue the discussion we had about you and Isabella?" Kelly blushed, and instantly sped up. Magenta cackled and sped up as well. Buster and Patrick watched them speed.  
"Good, we can talk louder now." Patrick grunted. "Do you think Fredrick will find a good spot today?"  
"I hope so, we need to get it out of the way before work begins, otherwise someone will dig it up." Buster nodded.  
"I told you we shouldn't have put it back in the basement." The cement mixer snapped.  
"We didn't have very many other  
"Hurry up you lot, we need to catch Kelly!" Magenta called, and Patrick gave Buster a last look before moving away, leaving the steamroller to continue at his slow pace.  
Kelly was desperately trying to outrun Magenta, and didn't realise they were very close to the airport. Gordon thundered by with the Express, and was surprised to see the vehicles racing along the road.  
"Vehicles are rather odd." The big engine grunted. Kelly could see the airport fence, and tried to flaw it, but Magenta had the same thing in mind, and quickly pulled up.  
"Running away is only proving it." She puffed.  
"I don't know what you are talking about." Kelly panted.  
"Just admit you're feelings for her!" Magenta snapped.  
"Feelings for who?" Kelly and Magenta turned to see who had spoken, but crashed into the fence. Seconds later, Patrick hit Kelly's cab, and grunted. But he turned to see who they were looking at, and was surprised to see Magenta and Alfie in front of them.  
"Hey!" Alfie grinned.  
"Hello!" The trio called, as they moved to get out of their pileup.  
"What are you doing here?" Kelly asked.  
"The people at the mechanics have fixed us up enough, but we were told we were needed for a very important job." Isabella began.  
"We have to go back for some final adjustments at the end of the day, but we should be back in a day or two." Alfie concluded.  
"Well, it is great to have you here!" Magenta said, and raced forwards, giggling excitedly.  
"So, who does Kelly have feelings for?" Isabella asked, and Kelly blushed.  
"I'll tell you later." Magenta said. "However, I think you two should here about a certain body that landed on my trailer...."

Fredrick and the others soon reached the construction site, and were pleasantly surprised that they could move over the mud, which was very soggy.  
"Anyone got a giant hairdryer?" Byron asked, and they all smirked.  
"Jeepers, look in there!" Oliver gasped. They all looked at the basement, which was completely flooded.  
"Anyone got a submarine?" Max said, but only Monty laughed.  
"A submarine couldn't fit in there!" Ned said, looking pleased with his remark.  
"Actually, there are midget submarines that could fit in there." Oliver said wisely.  
"Really?" Fredrick said, surprised.  
"Yeah. I heard that the navy's use them, and they were also used by other companies for small work, like tugging companies, that sort of thing." The excavator finished. Just then, they heard the familiar toot of Nelson's horn. No one really registered, until they noticed that no one else should have arrived.  
"Nelson, who are you carrying?" Fredrick asked.  
"Take a guess." Nelson chuckled. The machines exchanged looks, puzzled, but then there was another honk, which could only belong to one machine....  
"JACK!" They cried, and changed position in order to see him.  
Yep, you're stuck with me again." The front loader grinned, and he rolled off the flatbed, grinning broadly. Everyone moved over towards him, smiling and jabbering excitedly.  
"I am glad you are all glad to see me, but I am only back for the day, I have to have my last check up this afternoon." Jack explained, as he rolled forwards. A worker was there, a clipboard in his hands and a stern look on his face.  
"We need to get working everyone!" He snapped. "Byron and Oliver, you need to start digging the children's area, it is over there through the clearing." And he pointed to his right. Byron and Oliver quickly moved off, and honked to Jack as they left. "Fredrick, kindly clear the landslide on the banks by the golf course behind us. Ned, I need you to assist, and Max and Monty need to take the mud away. And Jack, you have to tidy up around here and wait for Rex to bring the pump." Everyone nodded, and set off for their jobs. But Jack waited for the worker to move away, and then turned to Nelson.  
"So, what were you saying about another body?"

The airport had been full of people since the first plane had been cancelled, and they were all itching to get home. The cheered as the Pack came onto the runway, and the airport manager was among them. He watched from the front of the terminal as the Pack assembled, deep in conversation. The Foreman was driving up behind them, and the manager looked pleased at this. He was about to go inside, but a man brushed past.  
"Kenneth, wait a minute." The manager said sternly. Kenneth, who was dressed in an old fashioned pilots outfit, stopped and turned around.  
"Yes sir?"  
"I don't want you flying that blasted bi-plane today!" The manager said. "The Pack needs to be left alone while they fix everything up. We have five hundred people in this airport waiting to get home, and all our planes will be back within the next few hours, but they can't if that runway isn't fixed."  
"I wouldn't distract them at all sir." Kenneth said. "I'll move Tiger Moth back into his shed then." The manager was going to continue his telling off, but his assistant rushed over to him and pulled him away to attend to a situation. Kenneth rushed over to a different part of the runway, where Tiger Moth was sitting.  
"So, are we ready to fly?" He said enthusiastically.  
"Not at the moment, I have to move you away for the moment." Kenneth said. "But don't worry, we'll head off when the manager leaves for lunch." Tiger Moth grunted, and Kenneth climbed into his seat in order to get him out of the way.  
The Pack had all assembled on the runway, where they stared at the smashed up control tower. Thankfully, there was spare equipment, which allowed the planes to still be controlled. But it would take a while to repair the main terminal.  
"Do you think we could rebuild it?" Alfie said.  
"Not until we finish that darn hotel, we are too far behind." Kelly said moodily.  
"I think the foreman under planned this, we can't clear all that away." Isabella said.  
"You're right." They all gasped, and turned to see the Foreman, standing behind them with a smile. He laughed at that shocked faces, and walked up to the fallen building. "You are right Isabella. I have already called the supervisor at the hotel site, Oliver and Ned will be brought here right away, along with the twins. But Kelly, we need you to start heaving the bigger pieces away. It is crucial Buster and Patrick fix this runway up." The four nodded, and Alfie instantly started to scoop up smaller bits of bricks and glass.  
"Oh joy, work." Magenta huffed, and the foreman scowled as Alfie dropped the bricks. None of them noticed Tiger Moth moving down the undamaged parts of the runway.

Jack was happily clearing away fallen branches and small, broken trees. His was pleased to give his wheels a good stretch after being cooped up inside a mechanics for several weeks, and was pleased to hear some good gossip to give him something to think about. He was lifting some branches into some trucks when Rex chugged up, pulling two flatbeds with him, one with a large load and one with a smaller one. The large load was grey, rectangular and had lots of dials and a circle coming out of its side. The second was smaller and oval shaped.  
"Hello Jack, I was sorry to hear about your accident." The little green engine said, smiling.  
"Thanks Rex, I am feeling a lot better now." Jack grinned. "What's that thing?"  
"Oh, this is a pump to drain out the basement." Rex explained. "There is a tank to hold all the water." Several workers rushed over, and they began to pull a long blue tube off the machine and put it into the water. Another attached some pipers to the tank, and then pulled a lever. Water began to be sucked out of the basement, with a little whirring noise. Jack and Rex chatted for several minutes, mainly discussing the body.  
"We decided not to tell the big engines about it." Rex said. "We thought they would be nosy about it and bother us."  
"Yeah, Daisy is a real gossip." Jack laughed. As they were talking, they didn't notice the other machines appearing behind them.  
"See you later Jack!" Byron said, as he rolled onto Nelson.  
"Where are you guys going?" He asked, looking stunned.  
"They need more help at the airport." Oliver explained.  
"See you around, midget." Monty said, and Max boomed with laughter. Everyone rolled their eyes as they rocketed down the road.  
"Say hi to them all for me!" Jack said, and the other machines nodded as they headed off. Jack sighed, very sad about not being able to see his friends again. He rolled over towards the basement, and was surprised to see that the water had been sucked down to halfway.  
"That is a very powerful pump." Jack smiled. Just then, there was the growl of an engine, and Jack turned to see Fredrick there.  
"Don't worry Jack, I won't leave you." Fredrick smiled. "Would you like to help me with digging up the children's area?" And the front loader beamed.  
"Of course, better than picking up branches and stuff." The two were about to leave, when Rex blew his whistle.  
"Fredrick, I have been meaning to ask you about something." The little engine said.  
"What is it?" The digger replied, looking suspicious.  
"Well, on the day the body was found, Mike and I were coming back from doing some work, and we were certain we could hear you, Patrick and Buster talking about burying something." Rex said, his eyebrows up high. Jack looked very surprised, and Fredrick began to splutter nervously.  
"I-i-i-i don't remember that incident." He said at last.  
"Are you sure Fredrick was involved?" Jack asked.  
"I am not sure, they were down in the basement so we couldn't see." Rex explained, now looking a little guilty. "It probably wasn't you, sorry about that." Fredrick gave a little nod and smiled, but quickly turned around and sped off, leaving Jack positively stunned.

The work at the airport was going well. Kelly had moved two large sections out of the way, and Magenta and Isabella were dumping the scrap pieces at the side of the car park. More and more cars were showing up, making it more difficult to manoeuvre around.  
"Are you guys nearly done?" Patrick huffed.  
"Do we look done?" Magenta snapped, staring at the piles of brick still lying on the ground.  
"Is there anything we can do?" Patrick grunted.  
"Yeah, why don't you go roll off a cliff again!" Isabella growled. Before Patrick could reply, the Foreman rushed over, looking stern.  
"Calm down everyone!" He said. "Alfie, could you dig in a row so Patrick and Buster can start work quicker?"  
"I am sure I can do that." Alfie said exasperatedly. "But if Kelly moved that section of the roof out of the way."  
"I am so sorry, why don't you do that?" Kelly growled. "Oh, I forgot, you can't lift up things that are twice your size!" Alfie looked shocked, and the other machines all gasped.  
"Do you want me to look you up in the sheds for another two weeks?" The Foreman snapped, and they all became silent. "I thought so. Just get back to work!" And he stormed off.  
"That went well." Buster said, and the others glared at him before continuing their jobs.  
Meanwhile, Tiger Moth was staring out of his shed. A black Holden Commodore was leaving the airport, and he began to smile.  
"The boss is leaving." He said, and his propeller spun with excitement, covering his chiselled face with a red blur. Kenneth came over, and grinned.  
"Well then, let's get started!" He grinned, and Tiger Moth continued to spin his propeller. Kenneth removed the blocks that stopped Tiger Moth from moving, climbed into his seat, and flicked several switches, starting Tiger Moth up completely. With a bit of a chug, Tiger Moth began to move forwards.  
"Finally, I have needed to get out and stretched my wings!" Tiger Moth beamed. Kenneth could barely hear him, and was too busy concentrating on preparing for take-off. Tiger Moth was looking around the runway, and was surprised to see that there was a steamroller right in front of him.  
"AARRGH, MOVE!" The bi-plane screamed. Buster turned, and gasped.  
"HELP!" He yelled. The others turned around, and had a double take when they realised what was happening.  
"Quick, move!" Isabella yelled, rushing to help. She rushed behind and began to push the steamroller. Kenneth realised what was happening, and quickly turned, unaware that was the way Isabella and Buster were going. Kelly, who had the roof section attached to his hook, realised this, and rushed forwards. Kenneth quickly pulled a lever, and Tiger Moth began to rise into the air. Kelly smashed into Isabella and Buster, pushing them out of the way. Tiger Moth lifted into the air, straight towards Kelly's arm. He gasped, and move it out of the way. The chains slipped, and the roof section flew off, smashing into the terminal, shattering the floor-to-floor windows, showering the people with glass as they ran to avoid the roof section, which smashed up the tiles. Tiger Moth turned to watch this, and his tyres hit a piece of metal sticking out of the rubble.  
"Urgh!" He moaned, as his tyres were hitting, causing him to land and skid along the runway.  
"What the hell were you thinking?" Alfie roared, and threw some dusty rocks towards them in his anger. Kenneth stumbled out of his seat, coughing loudly.  
"How was I supposed to know they were working!" Kenneth fumed to his plane, who just growled at him. The Foreman rushed over to his machines, and found that Isabella had blown a tyre, and then he stared at the destroyed terminal.  
"Well, I can say one thing, I don't think we'll be invited back to another job here."

While the drama raged on at the airport, Jack and Fredrick were finishing up digging the foundations for the children's area.  
"Wow, it is going to be really big!" Jack said, staring in awe at the area.  
"There is going to be an arcade and some theme park stuff." Fredrick replied absent-mindedly. Jack looked at the digger, who seemed very distracted.  
"You seem a bit off today, I'll finish up here, and you can go and have your break." The front loader smiled, and Fredrick grinned back, before speeding off. Jack was surprised at this, and quickly dug up the last little bit. He dumped it on top of the other mud, and then raced through the clearing.  
There was no Fredrick.  
However, Bert was there, collecting the trucks Jack had filled up. Rex was long gone.  
"Bert, have you seen Fredrick?" Jack asked.  
"The black digger?" Bert said. "I think he went down that ramp." Jack looked around, and wasn't surprised to see Fredrick had gone down into the basement. Bert looked at him, rather puzzled, before chugging away. Jack waited until he had left, and then raced down the ramp.  
"Fredrick?" Jack asked. Fredrick cried out, and he threw his load into the sky. Jack watched as a metal, black box landed on the other side of the basement. Jack looked at Fredrick, and Fredrick looked at Jack, and they both rushed forwards. Jack was younger and faster, and reached it first. Fredrick cursed as Jack stared, stunned, at the safe.  
"Fredrick, why were you digging up a safe?" The front loader asked. Fredrick sighed, and quickly explained the situation. Jack seemed very shocked at first, but he understood after a few minutes.  
"So, you guys want to hide it in a safer place until you can work out it's true purpose for being there?" Jack asked.  
"Yes, we think it could be connected to the murders, but we don't want to reveal it just yet." Fredrick explained. Jack nodded, and then his face lit up.  
"I know the perfect place!"

The airport manager had been called back from his lunch, and the Pack was desperately trying to sort things out before he came. The other airport officials understood that it was Tiger Moth's fault, and Kelly was able to reach the roof piece and pull it out. Max and Monty, thanks to their speeding, got there first, and Alfie was able to work doubly as hard, scooping the rubble into the twins and the cousins. Within minutes, there was enough area cleared for Patrick to pour concrete into.  
"Finally!" He grunted, but he was ignored. Moments later, Oliver, Byron and Ned appeared.  
"Excellent!" The foreman grinned. "Oliver, you can help Alfie out. Byron, I need you to take the larger pieces away. And Ned, you can help unload the rubble from Max, Monty, Isabella and Magenta.  
"Yes sir!" The three said, and rushed to their positions.  
"Yes, we can nearly be done!" Alfie grinned, as he scooped some bricks up.  
"What a pity Kelly, you won't have any more time to chat to your _love._" Magenta said, and giggled.  
"Oh be quiet!" Kelly snapped.  
"Please Kelly, we all know who you like." Buster smirked.  
"You haven't been doing a good job at hiding it." Byron added, and they all burst into laughter, making the crane growl.  
For the next ten minutes, the Pack worked as quickly as possible. Buster was able to start rolling the cement, and Patrick continued further and further down the crack. At last, Oliver put the last bit of rubble onto Magenta, and she rushed off to drop it, letting everyone cheer.  
"And the crack is nearly sealed." Patrick said, as he moved over to fill it in. Max and Monty cheered with all the rest, but they were instantly bored.  
"Hey, do you want to have a race?" Monty asked.  
"Sure, let's race over to that building." Max nodded.  
"Ok, go!" Monty yelled, and he sped off. Max growled, and followed after.  
"Oi, where are you lot going?" The foreman asked. Kelly and Oliver followed after the dump trucks, who were shouting at each other.  
"I am going to win!" Monty yelled.  
"Only 'cause you cheated." Max said, and he swerved over, hitting his brother. Monty sped out of control, and smashed into the low building. They was a thud from above, and they looked up to see that a satellite had fallen off the roof.  
"You idiots!" Oliver yelled. "Look what you've done!" Max and Monty looked at each other, and then tried to flee. Kelly put his arm out to stop Monty, who smacked into it, sending it around towards Max, who hit it as well. Kelly moaned with pain, just as Isabella and Alfie came over, the Foreman riding in Isabella.  
"Sir, these two have caused a satellite to fall over, and now they have gone and damaged my arm." Kelly explained, and showed him two dents.  
"This is horrible, now they can't communicate with the plane." The Foreman sighed.  
"All our work for nothing." Byron growled, coming over. On the other side of the building, Kenneth and Tiger Moth were there, waiting for the manager. They could hear the Pack talking.  
"Hey, I think we might be able to redeem ourselves." Tiger Moth said.  
"Really, how?" Kenneth asked. Tiger Moth whispered, and Kenneth nodded. Within a minute, Tiger Moth was racing down the runway. The Pack watched as he zipped past, and then took off.  
"We are here to help!" Tiger Moth yelled, and they could see a coil made out of a chain was dangling from him. They moved out of the way as he zoomed up, and used the chain to move the satellite back up, and it became upright again. Some technicians then scrambled over, working quickly to get things back in order. The Pack all cheered, and Tiger Moth did some loop-de-loops to show his happiness.

The cave that Max and Monty had uncovered many weeks ago had been fenced off, to prevent anyone from venturing into it. However, the flimsy red and white stand was no match for Jack, who simply picked it up and put it to one side.  
"Come on, just bury it somewhere near the entrance." Jack said.  
"Isn't that a bit obvious?" Fredrick said, the safe resting in his bucket.  
"The cave is supposed to be blocked off." Jack said. "Besides, even if someone thought to look here, they would think it would be better hidden."  
"We just have to rely on the hope that the killer is an idiot then." Fredrick chuckled. He rolled steadily forwards, and quickly found himself surrounded by rocks. The cave was being held up by lots of supports, but Fredrick couldn't see that far down. He noticed a small boulder, and gave it a nudge with his scoop. The ground was soft underneath, and Fredrick scooped a lot of it away instantly, being careful not to lose the safe, and then dumped it in, and moved the dirt back on top, along with the boulder. He heard some drips as he finished, and some dust fell into his moustache.  
"Done." The old digger squeaked, and he raced out of there. Jack was amused by his frightened nature, and Fredrick ignored his look as he put the fence back in front.  
"Hey, I think Duke from the Narrow Gauge railway used to work around here. There was supposed to be a lot of caves and mines on his old railway." Jack said.  
"Well, why don't you talk to him when you are feeling better?" Fredrick suggested. Jack nodded, thinking that it anyone would be right to talk to, it would be a one hundred and thirty year old.

The Pack watched excitedly from the car park as Jeremy appeared through the clouds, a wide grin on his face. His wheels came out, and he touched down onto the runway, to the cheers of the machines and the passengers eagerly awaiting their ticket to freedom.  
"Looks like you all did well today." The Foreman smiled.  
"We have to head off now sir." Alfie said.  
"Bye!" The others called.  
"See you all in a day or two." Isabella added, grinning. The Pack watched as the two rolled away, and then they turned and set off as well.  
Meanwhile, Jeremy's passengers were walking through arrivals, very happy to be there. However, several of them were rather surprised at a certain passenger. He was wearing a very expensive looking suit, shoes that were shinier than any of the lights, and was surrounded by a number of burly men. They had heard the commotion that had happened before take-off, as he had insisted on bringing his own water, food and utensils, and had been allowed for some reason. None of these people knew who this man was, or how significant this man would be in the weeks to come on the Island.  
Cedric Berrob had finally come to Sodor.


	10. Operation Mid Sodor

By the end of the week, the Pack had gotten back into the swing of things. The underground car park had been completed, and the above ground car park was halfway done. The driveway was being worked on as well, with Jack and Alfie digging away the last of the old bushes for new plants. Ned was finishing the sand traps on the golf course, and Oliver and Byron were working on the foundations for the children's area. Fredrick had been given the task of starting digging up the pool. Kelly was clearing away the last of the old trees, and Max, Monty, Isabella and Magenta were moving between the teams, collecting dirt and delivering loads. The best bit was that pillars were being put into place in the car park, so the ground floor could soon be built on top.  
However, Jack hadn't found the time to go and see Duke yet. At the end of the day, he was far too tired to travel to Crovan's Gate and back. The front loader was desperate for answers, and was impatiently waiting for the chance to head down there.  
However, after several days, his wish was going to be granted.  
It was early morning at the yard, and the machines were all awake, waiting to go to work. After twenty minutes of doing nothing, the Foreman approached them, smiling broadly.  
"Why are you so happy?" Patrick asked.  
"I have just been on the phone, and it seems like we'll be having a very important guest at the site today." The machines all began to whisper excitedly to each other, wondering who it was going to be.  
"I bet it is going to be that movie star." Isabella said to Magenta, and they giggled happily.  
"Maybe it'll be one of the controllers." Oliver suggested.  
"Yawn, boring!" Max and Monty said together.  
"I heard there was some famous historian, she might come and look at the Mid Sodor backstory." Alfie said, looking at Jack. Jack nodded, but could only think about a certain historian he had to talk to.  
"I am sorry to disappoint you, but the guest is Cedric Berrob." The Foreman explained. The machines were still interested by this, and continued to mutter.  
"I didn't know he was on the Island." Byron boomed.  
"He was actually on Jeremy's first flight after the runway had been fixed." The Foreman explained. "Anyway, he'll be at the site around midday, and he is very picky so hopefully he'll be pleased with us. Isabella and Magenta, I need you two to go and collect some plants and more bags of cement. The rest of you need to head over to the site now." The Pack all nodded, and they all headed towards the gate.  
"I wonder what he will look like." Magenta said excitedly.  
"He sounds like some old codger." Patrick grunted.  
"No, he has to be young." Nelson said, who had Byron on his trailer.  
"Wasn't he in that movie we saw at the drive-in theatre?" Ned asked.  
"Are you thinking of the Harry Potter one?" Isabella giggled, and the Pack laughed as Ned flushed. Jack chuckled with the rest of them, but his mind was stuck on Duke. He slowed down a bit, and was soon level with Fredrick.  
"What is it?" Fredrick asked kindly.  
"I am going to go and see Duke later on." Jack whispered.  
"Ah, yes, good idea." The digger said, flustered.  
"You will have to distract the others for me." Fredrick stopped suddenly, and looked at the front loader.  
"Cover for you? I don't think I can do that!" He said, his eyes wide with fright.  
"If you want to get to the bottom of this stupid safe thing, then you are going to have to tell a little white lie while I get to the bottom of things, ok?" Jack snapped. Fredrick nodded, and Jack smiled briefly before speeding off.  
"Whatever happened to respect for your elders?" Fredrick muttered, as he continued down the road, but was stopped by a chugging sound. He looked around, and realised Buster was going slower than him.  
"Have you not told Patrick and I something about that safe?" The steamroller asked. Fredrick let out another sigh, and quickly began to explain.

The Pack soon arrived at the construction site, and quickly hurried off to continue their jobs from the previous day. Rain was forecast for that afternoon, so they had to hurry to make things look their best before Cedric arrived.  
Jack and Alfie were continuing with their work on the driveway. As they worked, Isabella and Magenta pulled up.  
"You two need to hurry up." Magenta smiled.  
"How come?" Alfie asked, as he dug out one of the remaining bushes.  
"We have just brought all the new plants." Isabella said, and turned to reveal all of the pot plants, full with young trees ready for planting.  
"Finally, we have a reason to work." Jack chuckled. Magenta continued down the muddy road, while a group of gardeners rushed over, and quickly began to unload Isabella.  
"So Isabella, what do you think Cedric will look like?" Alfie asked.  
"Hmmm.... he sounds like he'll be young, and rather nice." The lorry replied, nodding. "What do you think Jack?"  
"What?" The front loader said. He had been staring at the end of the lane, wondering about when to leave. "Oh, I don't really care what he looks like, as long as he lets us keep the contract." Alfie and Isabella continued the discussion, but Jack picked up several bushes and took them down towards the hotel, where a skip was located for the ecological waste. Jack quickly added the bushes onto a pile of dead trees and turned. Patrick and Buster were nearby, working on the last section of the car park. Jack honked his horn in a friendly manner, and headed off towards Alfie and Isabella.  
"Darn, he's too quick." Buster huffed.  
"Snails are too quick for you." Patrick snapped, and Buster glared at him. "We'll wait until he talks to the old engine, then we'll talk to him."  
"He probably won't tell anyone." Buster said, thinking.  
"Let's just wait until he gets the information, then we can calm down." Patrick said. Buster nodded, and the two continued with their jobs.

By midday, the sun had been blocked out by thick, dark clouds, leaving the site very dark and gloomy. The cement in the car park hadn't dried yet, so the Foreman had a sign put up to lead Cedric's car to a different area. Several trees had already been planted, but the gardeners were waiting to talk to Cedric about their work. Jack, Alfie, Kelly, Patrick, Buster, Nelson, the lorries and the dump trucks were waiting patiently, while the others did a few more minutes work.  
"This is very exciting." Kelly said. "Too bad Miss Jenny isn't here."  
"Oh, don't worry; she should be back soon enough." The Foreman said. "And Cedric is going to remain on the Island until the work is completed, so she will be able to meet him." Kelly beamed brightly at this.  
"Look over there!" Max said.  
"It's a limo!" Monty gasped.  
"Oh goodness, he is early." The Foreman said, looking down the lane at the shiny silver Chrysler limousine heading towards them. Behind them, Oliver, Byron, Ned and Fredrick pulled up, red in the face from racing there. The limousine pulled up, and a bodyguard stepped out of the car, nodded at the Foreman and the machines, and signalled for a man to get out.  
The Pack had held the breath, watching the car eagerly, but they were thoroughly disappointed. Cedric was tall, and was wearing an expensive suit and shining shoes, but he was very pale and looked like he was disgusted about being there. Indeed, he put on white gloves and refused to put a hard hat on.  
"He doesn't need on, all that hair gel is probably like a second skull." Byron whispered to the machines, and they all stifled giggles.  
"Hello Sodor Construction Company." Cedric said. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you."  
"And it is a pleasure to meet you." The Foreman said, and went to shake hands. Cedric examined his left hand, and briefly shook it.  
"I see that Miss Packard still isn't back." Cedric said, a bit huffily.  
"Yes, we are expecting her back in a few days." The Foreman said. Cedric nodded, and headed down into the basement car park. The Foreman signalled, and Oliver, Fredrick, Buster and Patrick followed to explain their work.  
"Go back to your jobs and try and do a bit more work." A workman said. The bodyguard suddenly approached the machines, who froze.  
"My name is Jacob, I am Mr Berrob's head of security and assistant." He said. "Mr Berrob has made some changes and requires a machine called Thumper to be picked up." The machines all looked at Nelson, who smiled nervously.  
"I can go and collect him." He said.  
"Good. Your Foreman will be told of your whereabouts." Jacob said, and walked away. As Nelson and the others all headed off, Alfie turned to talk to Jack, but found no one there.  
"Did anyone see where Jack went?"

When Jacob had approached the group, Jack had managed to slip away as the machines focused on the strange man. The front loader was going as fast as he could, trying to put as much distant between himself and the construction site. He reached Ulfstead within fifteen minutes, and realised he didn't have much of a chance of getting to the Skarloey Railway in time. However, Jack decided to continue. He soon reached a main turnoff, and went left instead of going towards Thomas' branch line. He travelled down the road for ten minutes, before turning off again. For the last fifteen minutes, Jack went along a road with a sharp bend, and eventually reached Wellsworth Station. Not surprisingly, Edward was there, along with Rocky.  
"Hello Jack, what brings you to this neck of the woods?" Edward said brightly.  
"I need to get to the Skarloey Railway, I have to ask Duke something."  
"Really, what about?" Edward asked, give Jack a curious look.  
"Oh, er... um... just something about Mid Sodor, the Foreman sent me." The front loader replied nervously.  
"We could take you, we are heading there anyway." Rocky boomed.  
"Yes, there was a collision at Brendam, lots of trucks have been damaged." Edward said. Jack noticed a long line of trucks, fill with broken trucks. Jack smiled and thanked the two, and Edward's fireman and a workman got Rocky's chains around Jack's axles and he was hoisted up onto a flatbed and secured. Edward set off two minutes later, and Jack enjoyed being blasted by wind as they raced along the main line, going up Gordon's Hill and speeding down the other side. The journey was a lot quicker, and Jack couldn't help but honk his horn cheekily at Caroline as he passed. The car gasped, and nearly drove into a tree, making Jack boom with laughter. It was still a while before they reached the Skarloey Railway. No engines were at the station, but Colin the crane was there, unloading a heavy piece of machinery from a lorry. Edward stopped by the engine sheds. Duke was resting there, along with Duncan and Ivo Hugh.  
"Here you go Jack." Edward said, as Rocky began to lift Jack up, his supports out.  
"Hello Edward." Duke and Ivo Hugh said, while Duncan yawned, looking grumpy about the disturbance.  
"Thanks for the lift Edward." Jack smiled, as his tyres hit rail. "Will you be able to pick me up when we are both finished?"  
"We should be at the works for about fifteen minutes, but can wait for you." Edward's driver said. Jack smiled, and Edward headed off, blowing his whistle as he went.  
"So Jack, what can we do to help?" Duke asked. The old engine quite liked the Pack, as they had helped him out after a landslide had trapped him two years ago.  
"Well, we are working on a hotel in the forest on the Arlesdale Railway." Jack explained. "Things were going fine for a few days, but then Byron, our bulldozer, found a body." Duke and Ivo Hugh gasped  
"That doesn't sound good!" Ivo Hugh said, looking a bit pale.  
"This story just got better." Duncan smiled, no longer grumpy about Jack's presence.  
"Why are you here then?" Duke asked. "I haven't been near that railway for years, how could I have killed someone?" Jack laughed nervously at this, and Duke raised an eyebrow.  
"I wasn't implying that." The front loader said. "But Fredrick, who is our new digger, discovered this weird safe nearby. And then they found another body on the exact same day." Jack explained. Duke nodded, and pondered for a few minutes, leaving Jack a bit nervous.  
"So... I came all the way over here to ask you if you knew of any stories about treasure or anything in the area." Jack asked. Duke nodded again, and then looked at him.  
"Well, there was one story I heard my crew talking about while I was being prepared for the shed." The tender engine said. He paused, and Duncan grunted.  
"Hurry up and tell it then!" He said. Duke looked at him and muttered something about impudent scallywags before looking back at Jack.  
"I'll tell the story then, but no one interrupt me." Jack and the other two engines nodded, and listened as Duke began his story.

"As my crew recalled it, this event happened about a year before the railway closed, and I thought about it for some time after being locked up. I remembered that one day, a group of eight people showed up on the railway. There were all around twenty, and looked very rugged, quite the typical adventurer. We got them regularly on our railway, as there were a number of mines and mountains around us. I remember that these particular men spoke with the manager upon arrival. It seemed that they wanted an engine to take them up towards Arlesdale. I couldn't take them due to my Picnic train. However, Falcon, or Sir Handel to you lot, was available. His coaches were loaded up, and they soon set off. I didn't know what happened after then, but Falcon returned later on, but without the adventurers.  
'They want to stay there for a couple of days.' Falcon told me. 'I have to go and pick them up in a few days.' None of us really thought about it at the time, and soon Falcon was off to collect them. Stuart and I were preparing our trains when Falcon returned, looking rather petrified.  
'What happened?' Stuart asked.  
'One of the men was lying by the tracks, dead.' Falcon said, stuttering a bit. 'All the other men were gone, but my driver saw some of their supplies scattered near some trees, so they obviously left in a hurry.' All of us engines on Mid Sodor were shocked when we heard the story. We saw the police when they interviewed the manager and Sir Handel's crew. The police didn't really ask us engines for our views back then, though Falcon was glad not to be bothered.  
After the interviews, we were all hoping to put it behind us, as none of us wanted to dwell on the possible murder that much. However, about several days afterwards, I overheard my crew talking as we were waiting for our passengers one day.  
'I think it is pretty stupid." My driver was saying.  
'Think what you want, but the evidence is out there.' My fireman replied, to which my driver boomed with laughter.  
'There isn't any! You, just like half the people in this area, think that there is some treasure buried down there.' He replied.  
'_Was _buried down there, those people have obviously dug it up.' My fireman retorted, and I could hear my driver sighing.  
'Let's just agree to disagree, alright?'  
'Fine, but don't think that means I am going to drop it....'

"Hang on a minute, your saying that there is treasure near Mid Sodor?" Duncan asked excitedly.  
"Were you paying attention to the last bit of it, or did you just go deaf after I said 'treasure'?" Duke scoffed. "My fireman, like many other people near Mid Sodor, thought that there was treasure buried under the mountain area between Clagh Ooyre and Gob-Y-Deighan. They then believed that the eight treasure hunters that Sir Handel, well, Falcon, took on his train managed to dig it up."  
"That wouldn't explain why someone was killed." Ivo Hugh said.  
"Oh, I think it is very logical." Duke said. "Being in my shed for 22 years did give me time to think. I eventually came to the conclusion that the man who was found dead must have changed his opinion about them taking the treasure, if they found any, and they killed him and took his share, and then left before Sir Handel could return." The engine finished his conclusion, and looked back at Jack, who was stunned. Many thoughts were racing through the front loader's mind, none of them that pleasant. But one thing seemed to be making sense. If he just had enough information....  
His chain of thought was interrupted by a loud whistle, as Edward appeared, his tender facing them as he reversed towards them.  
"Are you ready to go Jack?" Edward asked.  
"Yes, I am ready." Jack said, smiling slightly. "Thanks for talking to me Duke." He added, looking over at the Narrow Gauge engines.  
"Any time. Come and see me if you need any more assistance." Duke said, smiling.  
"Bye!" Ivo Hugh said. Rocky lifted Jack back onto the flatbed, and they headed off again.

It was late in the afternoon by the time Jack got back to the construction site. Harvey had taken Rocky to Tidmouth to deal with an accident, and Jack had hitched a ride. Molly had then been able to take the front loader the last leg to Arlesdale, and Jack was able to find a road to take him back to the site. He was surprised to see that Cedric was still there, the limo right at the top of the drive. Alfie turned around when Jack showed up. The excavator, who had been helping with more digging, stared bug eyed at him, and mouthed 'quick, hide!' to him, but Cedric noticed him showing up.  
"I haven't seen that one around here that much today." Cedric said, and Jack's engine nearly fell out as the Foreman stepped out from behind him, along with, of all people, Miss Jenny.  
"Jack, where have you been!" She boomed, looking furious.  
"Sorry Miss Jenny, but I... um... had to, er..." Jack was looking for the right words, but he couldn't think of a good enough cover up.  
"Let me guess, you just went for a little stroll and got lost?" Miss Jenny asked, arms crossed.  
"Something like that." Jack said quietly.  
"We might not have noticed you were missing, but then we got a call." The Foreman said. "There was an accident at slate quarry on the Skarloey Railway, and we needed you to go and clear away some rubble." Jack let out a loud groan, and got a lot of mysterious looks.  
"I have to go Jenny, it was nice to meet you." Cedric said, shaking her hands a fraction longer than the Foreman's.  
"Same here, hope to see you again at some point." Miss Jenny smiled. Cedric and Jacob got into the limousine, and Jack moved aside to let it pass. He looked back at Miss Jenny and the Foreman, but they had chosen not to deal with him at the moment, and he sighed.  
"You chose a bad day to bugger off." Alfie chuckled. "Miss Jenny returned from her holiday about twenty minutes after you left."  
"That is unlucky." Jack chuckled. "Sorry, but I can't chat." Alfie was shocked, and watched as Jack sped off, heading towards the children's area. Fredrick was heading away, and the two nearly collided.  
"Oh Jack, I tried to say you were doing a job for the small engines, but they didn't buy it." Fredrick said.  
"That's alright, it will be worth it. Duke gave me some great information." Jack whispered.  
"What sort of information?" Fredrick asked, rolling a bit closer.  
"From what he told me, it seems that we could solve a sixty year old murder, discover some treasure and find out why those two men were killed, and the possibility that there are still some bodies left to discover." Jack said, and couldn't help but smile, while Fredrick gasped.  
"More bodies? But how many more could there be?"

"Three?"  
"Yes, three."  
"THREE?"  
"Again Jacob, three." Cedric sighed grouchily, as he flicked through two autopsy reports. Jacob took his thick black sunglasses off and mopped his face.  
"So there have been five murders connected to the treasure?"  
"Technically six if you count the one that happened in 1946, but only five in recent years." Cedric said, and looked up at Jacob's stunned face. "Oh please, these men were in their eighties, they weren't actually going to contribute anything else to the world."  
"Yes, but they could have had children, and grand children, and great grand children!" Jacob said.  
"Several of them were married at some point, my father mentioned their weddings in his journals." Cedric said. "One of them may have had a child, you could check when we get back to the apartment." Jacob just sighed, giving up hope, and decided to change the topic.  
"I think some of the machines are getting suspicious." He said. "Like where did that red one spend halve the day?"  
"I don't really care what the prawns are doing, as long as they are fulfilling my duties." Cedric snapped. He put down the autopsy reports, and sighed. "It seems that the two were Clarence Richards and Vernon Green."  
"Wasn't Richards the cartographer?" Jacob asked.  
"Yes, very interesting he was killed. My father stated that he was Norman's favourite." Jacob nodded, and leant back in his seat.  
"How long do you think it will take to find the next body?"  
"Oh, I already know where the approximate locations of the last three bodies." Cedric said, smiling widely. "And if I am correct, we'll soon have all five pieces of the map and enough treasure and buy every inch of this pitiful Island." And he began to chuckle slightly, and Jacob joined in. They laughed and laughed, and didn't stop for the rest of the journey. They were just too happy: soon, they would be the richest people on Sodor, and the Island would be putty in their hands.


	11. Operation Dig

The construction on the hotel was going well. The driveway and car parks had finally been completed, filling the luscious green forest with hideous grey concrete. But the actual hotel building was being started. The floor had been laid and the walls were starting to be put up. The machines were all desperate to work on the hotel, but other areas needed their attention. The pool had to be dug, trees had to be moved, and the golf course and children's area needed to be completed. Cedric stopped by occasionally to check the progress, but the rest of the time he seemed far too busy to come over. The pack didn't mind, but they were starting to wonder what he always up to.  
Earlier one morning, a week after Cedric had arrived, the Pack had just woken up. They were all chatting excitedly about the day ahead when Miss Jenny walked over, followed by the Foreman and Jacob, Cedric's bodyguard.  
"Good morning everyone." Miss Jenny said. "Before I announce today's jobs, Jacob from Mr Berrob's office needs to talk to you." The Pack exchanged cautious looks: they all found Jacob to be very frightening.  
"Hello." Jacob said, taking his dark sunglasses off. "Mr Berrob requires the assistace of several machines for a very important job." He then pulled out a small note of paper. "He needs the green excavator, the transporter, and one of the dump trucks."  
"We do have names." Alfie huffed.  
"Yes, but I don't have the time to learn them." Jacob replied. Alfie wanted to argue, but the Foreman gave him a look, and he remained quiet.  
"Are we going to leave now?" Nelson asked. Jacob nodded, and walked over to towards one another black Chrysler 300.  
"I don't want to do a job." Max grumbled.  
"Do you think I want to?" Monty huffed.  
"Well I don't care what you want!" Max growled.  
"Yeah, and I don't care what you want!" Monty shouted back.  
"Oh give it a rest!" Kelly sighed, and the two dump trucks remained quiet, but they continued to growl and glare at each other.  
"Monty, you can go." Miss Jenny said. Max grinned deviously, and Monty reluctantly rolled away with Nelson and Alfie. Monty rolled onto Nelson, the Chrysler started up and they headed off.  
"Ok, now I have to give out the rest of your jobs." Miss Jenny smiled. "Ned and Jack, I need you two to start digging up the swimming pool; Max can take away the dirt. Oliver and Byron, you two can do more work on the golf course. Isabella and Magenta, there are a number of supplies for you to collet."  
"How unusual." Isabella grunted, and Magenta laughed loudly, but they stopped at Miss Jenny's scowl.  
"Fredrick, Buster and Patrick, I received a phone call from the aluminium works manager this morning." The Foreman said. "One of his lorries spotted a landslide near a tunnel on the old Mid Sodor railway. It is blocking a road and has damaged the surrounding area, so I need you three to clear it away and fix the road up."  
"Right away sir." Fredrick beamed.  
"Oh, one last thing. Cedric hasn't used Thumper in the past few days, despite the special request, so he will be digging up some rocks to be used in the gardens, so keep away from that area today." Miss Jenny said. The Pack all agreed, and then headed for the gate. Isabella and Magenta went off one way to collect their supplies, while the rest headed off, talking about the day ahead. No one of them realised a certain steamroller watching them through the trees.

A large area had been allowed for a swimming pool, as Cedric wanted it to be a fun area for the whole family, and to allow lots of people to accommodate it. Jack and Ned knew these, but they weren't expecting the size of it when they saw it.  
"This is probably longer than the driveway!" Ned gasped.  
"I suppose he wanted an Olympic sized one." Jack said.  
"But it is so big!" Ned gasped. Jack rolled forwards, past several men who were digging up the ground for the fence.  
"Let's just start doing this, it is going to take ages!" Jack sighed. Ned nodded, and the two instantly started work. Max had been lagging behind, so they had to put the Earth to a corner for the time being. Fifteen minutes after they started, they had barely scratched the surface, even though the pile of earth was getting bigger and bigger. When Max finally arrived, the mud was practically tipping over.  
"Where have you been?" Jack said. He tried to snap, but was already exhausted.  
"Sorry, I just didn't want to be here." Max grumbled, as he eyed all of the earth.  
"Ned, load up him with as much of that as possible." Jack said. Ned nodded, and quickly rushed over.  
"Whatever you do, don't stuff up!" Max growled.  
"Of course not!" Ned smiled. He went to scoop it up, but he hit the side of the mound instead. Jack let out a cry of laughter as it all tumbled down, covering Max from bumper to bumper in mud.  
"Oops, sorry." Ned said, looking guilty. Max just let out an angry growl and drove off. Ned looked at Jack, but he was too busy laughing to notice.

The landslide team soon arrived, and found that it wasn't as bad as they had first expected. Only a small section of the road was damaged, and the main damage came from some large rocks.  
"Where are you going to put it?" Buster asked, as the three came to a halt.  
"I am sure there is some hill he can toss it down." Patrick huffed.  
"I will most certainly not be tossing the rubble down the hill!" Fredrick growled.  
"I am sure I saw an old station down there, we could move it down when we are finished." Buster said. Fredrick nodded, and he moved over towards the rubble. He dug his scoop in and lifted up as much as he could. A lot of rocks got in, along with some dirt, and then Fredrick lifted it up and moved to the side of the road. It was very hot, and Buster and Patrick were tired from the drive and didn't feel like talking. Fredrick went back and picked up his second lot. As he moved away, some dirt trickled down to fill in the gap, and Buster saw something inside.  
"Hey, there's something in here!" He cried. Fredrick quickly dumped the dirt and rushed back.  
"What is it?" Patrick asked, trying to get a good look. It was pale, and definitely didn't belong in the dirt.  
"I'll clear it out." Fredrick said, and carefully nudged away some of the dirt. More dirt fell, and then the pale thing was revealed to be a hand. Fredrick stopped, and the three exchanged looks.  
"You don't think..." Buster said, but his voice trailed off. Fredrick quickly pushed more dirt aside. Soon, the upper body of man was revealed. He smelt disgusting, and his head seemed to be rotting away. There was a squeal, and a rat scampered away. The man was wrapped inside a velvety fabric, and it was stained with blood and dirt.  
"Well...." Patrick said, stunned.  
"Yes, well...." Fredrick agreed, as they stared at the corpse.

The Pack had worked all over Sodor: from clearing a landslide at Kirk Machan, to assisting in rebuilding the Dryaw Station. However, they had never been to the castle ruins at Arlesburgh.  
There were a large amount of tourists, taking pictures of the derelict building and the lighthouse nearby. The fields were very bare, with nearly no trees and a very flat, consistent surface. The tourists never really paid attention here, but there was a mild buzz today. For some reason, three vehicles were moving across the fields, with a man standing on top of one.  
"This is so tedious and boring!" Monty grunted.  
"My wheels are about to fall off!" Alfie groaned.  
"At least you don't have a car on your back!" Nelson hissed. After travelling the same way the Pack usually went, Jacob led them down towards Arlesburgh, where they waited for half an hour on the Small Railway while Jacob collected Cedric. The Chrysler was then driven onto Nelson, much to Monty's displeasure, and they headed towards the castle ruins.  
"Why are we going there?" Nelson had asked.  
"Mr Berrob wants you to find an old battleground." Jacob replied instantly. "It was covered up after a war, but Cedric heard that there are some valuable treasures around, and wants you to look for them."  
"Why?" Monty asked, and Jacob got very snappy at this point.  
"It is for the lobby, now drive!" And so they had. They had been roaming around the bare fields for twenty minutes, and the sun was glaring down on them.  
"I just want to stop!" Alfie whimpered. "My engine is about to die!" As if his prayers were answered, a grumble issued from inside the Chrysler. Jacob, who was standing on the flatbed, nodded, and then tapped his foot.  
"Stop!" He cried. The three machines gladly agreed, and stopped instantly. Jacob nearly lost his balance, and Alfie stifled a snigger as he stood back up and pretended it hadn't happened.  
"This is the spot Mr Berrob wants you to dig." Jacob boomed. Alfie looked around, and saw that it looked exactly like the rest of the surrounding area.  
"Okey dokey." Alfie said, and dug his scoop into the ground. "Am I looking for something in particular?"  
"Yes, wood." Jacob said. "They put wooden planks over the trenches, so people wouldn't fall in. Hopefully, none of you will fall in, I don't think Mr Berrob would like that."  
"I don't think we would either." Nelson muttered, and Alfie and Monty laughed weakly. Alfie tapped his scoop onto the ground, and found dirt. He sighed, and moved forwards slightly, with the same result.  
It was going to be a long day.

Max soon returned to collect the rest of the dirt, while still covered in most of his delivery. But by the time he had gotten back, there was twice the amount.  
"Can't you lot slow down until I have cleared all of this away?" The dump truck scowled, as a man waited to scoop it in. Jack looked up to him, completely red in the face and an angry look that seemed to be fixed there.  
"Have you seen the area we have to dig?" The front loader growled, moving forwards and shaking his scoop. "We have been working for about forty minutes and we don't even have a tenth of it done yet." Max was much bigger than Jack, but the front loader had such a furious expression that the dump truck cowered slightly.  
"Fine, dig up as much as you want." He said. "But you better help load some of this in next time." The worker gave him the thumbs up, and Max turned and raced away, leaving a cloud of smoke behind.  
"Good riddance!" Jack growled, and he moved back to his area. Ned looked up to him as he approached, looking slightly sad.  
"Do you think this will take much longer?" The steam shovel asked. "I am just really tired, and I can't keep moving backwards and forwards all day, taking small amounts of dirt."  
"I know this is boring, but everyone will be helping when they can." Jack said, though he didn't sound encouraging. However, Ned smiled all the same. He dug up his latest amount of dirt, and then headed towards the mound.  
"Max really should hurry up, there is far too much dirt here, and he can't take it all on his own today." Ned said.  
"Watch it!" Jack gasped. Ned turned, and didn't realise he had gone of course, and was now heading towards the workers. He tried to swerve, but he crashed into the dirt, knocking it onto several men, and then he continued forwards. Ned eventually stopped, but ran over bits of the fence as he did.  
"You stupid machine!" One man yelled. He was covered in filth, and was shaking his fist and hard hat. Another man came over, and calmly told Ned to move backwards, and then pulled the fence away.  
"Sorry, I really am sorry!" Ned blustered.  
"Come on Ned, let's just get back to work." Jack said, and Ned nodded. As the men argued and shouted about the incident, Jack heard a whistle from behind him, followed by an all too familiar voice.  
"Goodness Ned, you still are a bumbling idiot!" Jack let out an angry sigh, and then turned around. Sure enough, George, Mac and Grudge were right behind him, smiling widely.  
"Hello Jackie boy, miss us?" Mac sneered, and George and Grudge erupted in laughter, as Jack struggled to contain himself.

Fredrick, Buster and Patrick stared at the corpse, entirely unsure about what to do. After about ten minutes though, they really needed an answer.  
"Maybe we should hand it in to the police?" Buster said at last.  
"That would be a good idea." Fredrick nodded.  
"I disagree." Patrick said. Fredrick and Buster turned to him, shocked. "I think we should hide it."  
"Are you serious?" Buster fumed.  
"Yes, I am." Patrick said, turning to them. "Look at it this way: after Buster and the others found the first body, Jack, Alfie and Isabella get struck by a bomb, and there was that fire on the same night."  
"Do you think it had to do with the body?" Fredrick asked.  
"I am almost certain." Patrick replied. "And then there was the second one, which wasn't that far away from the first." Fredrick and Buster exchanged looks, and they couldn't help but agree.  
"This is true..." Fredrick mumbled.  
"So, you think that they are connected?" Buster asked.  
"I am almost certain!" Patrick nodded. "And there is the safe as well, I am bloody well certain they are connected?" Buster and Fredrick looked back at the corpse, and Fredrick moved forwards. He stuck his scoop in underneath, and the lifted up. The body and the dirt rose up, with some trickling down over Fredrick's rusted scoop.  
"I think we should bury it nearby, but in a different place." The digger said, trying to keep the smell away from his moustache. Buster and Patrick moved down the road, looking for an appropriate burial place.  
"Come over here, this place looks good!" Buster cried from a distance. Fredrick rushed over as fast as possible, keeping the scoop steady so the old body wouldn't fall out. The steamroller was underneath a bridge, over old tracks.  
"I figured we could bury it here." Buster explained. "It is easy enough to find, and I don't think many people come around here."  
"Good idea, and the bridge would be a perfect shelter." Fredrick nodded. Patrick came over, and he and Buster moved to the side. Fredrick placed the body down, and then scooped away a section of Earth. The cement mixer and steamroller watched in silence, as Fredrick dug a hole, and then drop the body in, and quickly covered it up.  
You wouldn't have even known it exsisted.

Thumper was enjoying his work with the pack. He wasn't being harassed about his work that much, and was enjoying being out in the sun, soaking it all in and doing what he does best: digging.  
"Ah, I haven't had such a fun job in years." Thumper said in his rough, gravelly voice. His pistons were pounding into the side of the mountain, making cracks in the surface. Rocks were trickling down, and several men were standing by the trees, watching it.  
"Keep it up Thumper!" One of them yelled.  
"This rock is really hard." Thumper replied. "I don't think it'll come down as easily."  
"Just keep trying." Another yelled. Thumper sighed, ignoring the dust floating around him. He liked his job, but didn't like having to damage the rock when there was no hope.  
However, he was unaware of the damage he was really doing. Hundreds of feet above him, the ground was shaking in a less stable area. The lake of Corloey is a reasonably small lake, compared to others on the island, but the water from it went downhill and led off to other lakes and rivers. There were many mines deep beneath it, and it downhill towards a forest behind it. As Thumper destroyed the rock face down at ground level, several rocks began to stream down the river banks. The number grew, and grew, and grew. Then, all of a sudden, a large crack began to form under the water.  
And it began to trickle into the mines.

George rolled forward, smiling in triumph.  
"Aren't you going to welcome us back?" He sneered.  
"I thought you lot got locked up." Jack snarled back, trying to stand up to them.  
"Yes, we were impounded for a while." George said, sighing a little. "However, the police found some evidence that proves it wasn't us."  
"What do you mean?" Jack gasped.  
"I don't know who tried to blow you up." George snapped. "Someone obviously dislikes you lot, which isn't really a surprise." As George spoke, Ned rolled nervously backwards, looking for help. However, all the other vehicles were doing their own jobs, and the workers were dealing with the fences.  
"Let's just cut the chit-chat." Mac growled. "I want to finish what we started!"  
"Calm down!" George snapped.  
"I want to fight as well." Grudge huffed.  
"SHUT IT!" George and Mac said together, and Grudge looked a little dejected.  
"I am a part of this team as well." He said, but was ignored.  
"Let's get rid of these two first." George said, smiling widely. "I wouldn't want them going for help when we go for the building."  
"Agreed." Mac sneered, and he charged forwards. Jack reversed and turned, and Mac skidded past.  
"You can't do this, this is unfair!" Jack said, his voice cracking.  
"Your right, two against one is a bit unfair." George smiled.  
"What about Ned and I?" Grudge asked.  
"We aren't counting the idiots." Mac said angrily. Ned was shocked: he knew that he wasn't the brightest tool in Miss Jenny's shed, and that he could be clumsy at times, and has caused several accidents in the past, but he didn't think he was an idiot. Ned swelled up with anger and pride, and looked around. He noticed that a large rock had been picked up with some of the dirt, and was lying nearby. Just as George was about to head towards Jack, two honks sounded in the distance.  
"It's Magenta and Isabella!" Jack said excitedly. George and Mac looked over temporarily, but Grudge cried out.

"Oh no!" He cried. Mac turned, just as Ned opened his bucket, dropping the heavy rock onto Mac's windscreen.  
"Argh!" Mac groaned, as the glass shattered.  
"No so useless now, am I!" Ned huffed, and then turned his body and swung, getting his scoop under Mac's roof. He then lifted it up, and tore the metal.  
"Oh god!" George said.  
"Looks like you weren't expecting this!" Jack sniggered, and then rolled forwards. He shoved his scoop into George's roller, catching the steamroller by surprise, and he began to move backwards. The cries could be heard all around the area, and several workers were rushing over, and Isabella and Magenta were turning around.  
"This is really bad!" Grudge muttered.  
"Then go then!" George snapped, as he tried to push back Jack. Mac, meanwhile, was trying to flee from Ned.  
"Who's the idiot now?" Ned said, as he bashed Mac on the back of his tipper. Mac spun out of control, and Grudge yelled out and rushed forwards.  
"You won't go far!" Isabella yelled. Grudge realised the two lorries were in front of him, and he quickly turned to his right. Men leapt out of the way as he roared through the mud, splashing mud everywhere.  
SMASH!  
The battle froze, as people listened for the source of the calamity. Grudge had driven straight onto the railway tracks, unaware that Jock was trying to pass with several ballast trucks. Black dust were in the air, and Jock's gleaming yellow paint was filthy.  
"What is going on here?" Jock asked. Everyone had frozen, amazed by the collision. Then, Mac splashed through the mud, spraying Isabella and Magenta. George then pushed Jack into Ned, causing them to slide into a freshly dug hole. Mac then slammed into George, giving him a needed push, and they sped away.  
"Good job Ned." Jack said, as the workers began to move again, and rushed to examine them.  
"Thank you." Ned smiled.  
"What are we doing with him?" Magenta asked, staring at Grudge, who was being reversed away from the trucks.  
"I think we should let him go, he isn't that much of a threat." Jack said.  
"Probably not." Isabella nodded. "Have any of the others gotten back yet?"  
"No." Jack said, shaking his head.  
"I wonder what Cedric's special job is." Magenta pondered, and they all spared a thought, thinking of their friends.

Thud.  
Alfie had been searching for a wooden covering for three hours. The sun was baking down on him, and he could barely concentrate. Monty and Nelson were sitting in the shade of one of the trees, smirking as Alfie continuously smashed his scoop into the ground. He wasn't expecting anything, and was thoroughly surprised to hear a thud.  
"I think I found something." He croaked. He heard Monty groan, but ignored him as he smashed his scoop into the ground again. This time, the grass disappeared, and there was a snap: some sort of plank had smashed. Alfie began to ignore the heat, glad that he had finally found something. He moved his scoop and body around, pulling up more ground and wood. There was soon a wide enough hole, but the little excavator was happy he continue to tear up the field, letting out squeals of delight. Monty finally arrived, with Nelson close behind. Jacob leapt off the flatbed, whipping out a flash light.  
"Move back!" He said, and flashed it into the hole. Alfie couldn't help look, and saw some benches, and some sort of tarpaulin. There was a loud thud, and the machines looked as Mr Berrob came out of the Chrysler, wearing the usual suit.  
"Finally." He mumbled, and jumped off the flatbed, landing perfectly and ignoring the mild pain.  
"I believe this is the right place." Jacob said, and Cedric nodded.  
"What is down there?" Nelson asked.  
"I am not sure, the artefacts." Alfie said, Jacob rushed to the car and got a rope ladder out. He attached it using some pegs, and then rolled it into the trench.  
"This better be the spot." Cedric said.  
"Your calculations suggest it is." Jacob said, and he clambered down. Cedric followed, covering the rungs with a cloth as he went.  
It was very dark inside the trench, and there was very little light, except for the torch. The mud was covered with wood, though it was poking through. It smelt very mouldy and rotten, and bugs were crawling around. Cedric gagged, and Jacob flashed the light around. It caught the tarpaulin, and Cedric looked at it.  
"Open it." He muttered, staring eagerly. Jacob nodded, and bent down. He whipped the tarpaulin off, and then backed off, gagging. Cedric ignored him, and smiled. Lying on the tarp was a corpse, most likely male, with worms crawling around. Jacob threw up, disgusted by this. But Cedric just smiled.  
"It is nearly complete." He whispered, and pulled out a small notepad and a gold pen from his pocket, and made a small check on a map of Sodor.  
"Three down, two to go."


	12. Operation Deceit

It was one week after the third body had been found, and the Pack really couldn't care less.  
The hotel was reaching critical stages, and none of them had the time or energy to focus on another corpse showing up. Jack, Oliver, Alfie, Fredrick and Ned were all working as fast as possible to get the pool completed. Byron was clearing away mud to make more roads, and Buster and Patrick were moving in minutes after him to lay the concrete. Isabella, Nelson, Max, Monty and Magenta were being given so many errands that more than one tyre had burst. Only Kelly had been having an easy time. There wasn't that much for a crane to do, so he spent most of his day resting or doing small jobs, like clearing away fallen trees and helping out around the railway. He felt bad for the others, being stuck with all the difficult jobs, but he was enjoying his time before he had the difficult task of doing the frame, which would require a lot of skill.  
So one week after the discovery, Kelly was having an early snooze in his shed as the sun began to set over in the horizon. There was the sound of vehicles rushing past the yard, their owners speeding to get home. Kelly was trying to ignore them, but there was a familiar toot and a screech of tyres, and he sighed and opened his eyes. Nelson was coming in, with Jack and Alfie on his back. All three of them looked exhausted.  
"Rough day?" Kelly asked. They didn't answer, instead all three of them glared at him. As Jack and Alfie rolled off the transporter, Isabella, Magenta, Oliver and Patrick rolled in, looking equally as tired.  
"So, anyone want to share their day's stories?" Kelly said, and got more dirty looks, and the crane decided to stop talking and reverse. There was another clunk of tyres and Byron rolled up, with Miss Jenny riding in his cab.  
"Good work today guys!" She said happily, but the machines just groaned. As she got off, Miss Jenny noticed Kelly and walked briskly over. "Kelly, I am pleased to say that we have finished the foyer and ground floor to the hotel, and we now require you to lift up the scaffolding and many important bits of the structure."  
"That's great, I've been getting bored." Kelly said, and Miss Jenny beamed and walked off. Isabella and Magenta rushed over, giggling too each other as always.  
"What are you two laughing about?" Kelly asked. Isabella and Magenta stopped laughing and stared at him.  
"Nothing that concerns you!" Magenta said.  
"We are allowed private conversations, aren't we?" Isabella said, and the two rolled quickly away, laughing again. Kelly rolled his eyes and ducked back into the shed. It seemed no one was up to talking tonight, so he might as well go to sleep. He needed all his strength and mental health if he was doing the frame tomorrow.

The next day, Kelly headed off towards the hotel site. He was surprised when he arrived there to see how well it was doing. There was a new gateway with a low brick fence surrounding the area. Lots of branches from too tall trees had been cut away, casting more sunshine into the area. Behind a clearing, Kelly could see that the arcade had been completed, and that a mini roller coaster was being assembled. The car park and the surrounding plants were all finished, and Isabella and Magenta were taking up a number of supplies to finish the golf course area. All the diggers were straight over to complete the pool with Max and Monty, and Patrick and Buster were working on some pathways, leaving Kelly with Nelson and Byron.  
"What are you two doing today?" Kelly said in a friendly voice. As no one was tired, they were all more up to conversation than previous night.  
"I think I am digging a trench to help stop flooding." Byron explained.  
"I have to go and collect Thumper now." Nelson said gloomily. "I wish we had some time to relax."  
"Well, we better get to work then." Kelly said, smiling, and they said their goodbyes and parted. Kelly moved a short way down towards the actual hotel. The current four walls were cream coloured and had brown corners. Men were working on a sign nearby and bricks and plants were being arranged for the decoration.  
"Ok Kelly, we need you to start by lifting some wooden up to help assemble the scaffolding." The Foreman said, signalling towards where a pile of wood was stacked. Men were assembling the bottom of the scaffolding, and Kelly was happy to start off with a small job. He rolled over and lowered his hook, scooping up the chains around the wood and heaving them up onto the scaffolding. As he unhooked them, Kelly went to move forwards again, and found that there were about ten more packages of wood ahead of him. He sighed and hooked up the next one. It seemed the day would be long and boring.

As the sun shone down upon them all, there was a triumphant cheer from near the pool. They had finally finished digging the majority of the pool, and everyone was pleased.  
"It's been a rough week, but we're finally done!" Jack boomed, and everyone honked and cheered.  
"What about that ramp bit?" Ned said, looking towards the mud ramp that they used to get in and out each day.  
"It is being turned into stairs after they have levelled it out divvied it up." Oliver explained, and Ned nodded thoughtfully.  
"I'll go and get Buster and Patrick." Alfie said, and he rushed off up the ramp. Jack wanted to stay and continue to chat with the others, but there was the sound of a soft motor and they all looked upwards. A familiar Chrysler limousine had pulled up, and the familiar black polished leathers shoes stepped out.  
"Hello there machines." Cedric said to them all, and they all forced smiles, but exchanged disgruntled looks as he walked off. Miss Jenny rushed over and shook his gloved hand.  
"I didn't realise you were coming today." Miss Jenny said.  
"I wanted to give a surprise visit, see if everything was up to scratch." Cedric replied snobbishly, and stared down into the pool. "You have finished digging, that's good."  
"Yes, and our crane, Kelly, is starting work on the hotel walls today." Miss Jenny said. Jacob had just got out of the car, and he scowled down at the machines, and Ned shivered slightly. There was a toot in the distance and Miss Jenny gasped and looked down.  
"Jack, that is Elizabeth, she is bringing some of the bricks for the pool, could you go and collect them?"  
"Of course Miss Jenny." Jack tooted, and raced up the ramp and turned left. Cedric had started walking, and Miss Jenny had to take several large strides to catch up. Jack clunked over the railway tracks and headed over towards the driveway, where Elizabeth was waiting.  
"Hurry up, I don't have all day!" She snapped, and Jack rolled his eyes and sped up.  
"Sorry, I was all the way over there." He said, and indicated towards the swimming pool.  
"I saw that fancy limousine passing me on my way up." The lorry said, staring over at it. "What is that doing here?"  
"It belongs to Mr Berrob, you know him, right?" Jack asked, as he began to unload.  
"I have heard of him, and I have heard he may be connected to something." Elizabeth said. Jack raised an eyebrow and he reversed and put down some of the bricks. Elizabeth saw this and smiled. "You want to hear, don't ya?" Jack nodded, and the lorry beamed even wider. "Well, I am not sure if it is true or not, but I heard from Bertie down at Knapford, who heard from Madge at Wellsworth, who heard from Trevor, who overheard Edward talking to Boco, who had heard it from Gordon, who had overheard The Fa-"  
"Will you get on with it!" Jack snapped, and Elizabeth gave him a grumpy look.  
"You should count yourself lucky I am telling you after that rudeness! But, anyway, Gordon overheard the Fat Controller having a rant because that corpse that was found by your lot last week has apparently gone missing."  
"Missing?" Jack gasped, dropping some of the bricks.  
"Yes, missing. Snatched from the coroners. And, the other two you guys found may be missing as well. And the Fat Controller was saying that Cedric knows all about it but won't tell anyone." Elizabeth said, pleased about Jack's shocked look. Jack scooped up the last of the bricks and put them down.  
"I'll back with the rest later, goodbye." Elizabeth said, and she reversed, turned and headed off down the driveway. Jack began to move with some of the bricks, and watched Miss Jenny and Cedric chat. Was Cedric connected to the bodies, and had they really been stolen? Who would steal corpses anyway? Whatever was going on, Jack knew that there could be one way to find the answers.  
The safe.

Kelly finished lifting up the last pile of wood, by which time the scaffolding had finished been erected.  
"Right Kelly, we now need you to start lifting up the walls." The Foreman said, and Kelly saw that a trailer of wall sections was waiting for him. Kelly began to lower his hook towards the chains when he realised that Miss Jenny and Cedric were watching him. Kelly stopped lowering his hook and gulped, but Miss Jenny gave him a look to keep going and he quickly picked it up. It was a bit too fast, and his hook swayed and the chains fell out and the wall landed with a clunk.  
"Sorry." He stuttered, and he quickly lifted it back up. Cedric muttered something to Miss Jenny, and the two stood up and headed towards the arcade area. Kelly let out a sad sigh and lifted up the wall section.

For the next hour, Kelly had to lift up the four sections for the outer walls of the first floor. He had to wait as each section was secured placed in before proceeding. He was now lowering the different sections that would make up the walls for each hotel room and the leave room for the elevator. Just as Kelly began to lower down one particular section, there were the toots of horns and he turned and reeved forwards, narrowly avoiding being hit by a racing Max and Monty. There was a crunch and a crash as Kelly smashed into the scaffolding. A metal pole smashed Kelly's windscreen, and he shut his eyes to avoid several shards striking his eyes.  
"Max, Monty, look what you did!" The Foreman yelled.  
"Not our fault, it's his!" Monty snorted.  
"He hit the scaffolding, not us!" Max added. There were footsteps and Miss Jenny and Cedric rushed forwards, with Jacob in front to make sure there was no serious damage.  
"I should've known." Miss Jenny said, sighing. "You two move over there, I don't have time for you at the moment!" Max and Monty quickly scampered away, and Cedric scowled slightly.  
"I think I have seen all I need to today." He said.  
"What about the golf course, or our work down at the cave?" Miss Jenny said, sounding worried.  
"No, no, I am quite happy with this." Cedric said, and began to walk away without another word. Jacob shot Miss Jenny a scowl and he rushed after. Miss Jenny sighed and walked over to talk to the dump trucks. Kelly reversed away from the poles and sighed as well. He wasn't coping well with all the stress, and his job required him to be calm and move slowly. Kelly reached into the hotel and picked up the wall section, breathing deeply and trying to get back into his usually calm nature.

It was much quieter down near the cave. Byron was using his blade to shovel all of the fallen dirt and rock out of the way so that a small lane could be laid. Buster and Patrick were waiting over in the shade of a tree for the men for to mark out where to start work. Nelson was unloading Thumper near a roped area.  
"This is all so boring." Patrick huffed. "I wish we could find another bod-"  
"Keep your voice down!" Buster hissed. "What if someone hears us?"  
"Who really cares, we can't exactly get into trouble." Patrick said. Buster growled and moved so that he was directly in front of the cement mixer.  
"Last time I checked, hiding a body may be against the law."  
"Some old man died, big whoop!" Patrick snapped. "There is something dodgy going on here that is a lot bigger than this old man."  
"Everyone on the Island knows that, but I still think what we did was wrong."  
"If we find out that the body is connected to all this and we find a way to get some glory out of it, we'll go back to that bridge and hand it in." Patrick explained.  
"You want to get glory out of this?" Buster said, looking appalled. "That is just-" But before he could finish his sentence, there was a yell and Buster saw someone waving at him. "I suppose I have to start smoothing out the lane. But we will continue this when I get back!" Patrick pulled a face and Buster rolled his eyes and moved away.  
Unbeknownst to the two of them, a worker had been standing behind the trees, pretending to be digging up some weeds. He had been listening intently to every word that Buster and Patrick said, and was now pulling out an old cell phone and speed dialling 1.  
"Thievery." He whispered.  
"Password accepted."  
"It is Number Six. I have just heard something the boss might want to know."

Jack had been waiting for Elizabeth to return with more of the bricks for the pool when the Chrysler sped past him, causing him to reverse and smash into a tree trunk.

"Careful there clumsy." Isabella teased as followed after.  
"Where are you two going?" Jack asked.  
"Need to get more walls." Magenta said, and the two rushed away, heading in the opposite direction to the limo. Jack watched them go and then rolled forwards and went back into his position. He waited for another five minutes, dwelling over Cedric, the bodies, the safe, Duke's story and how everything was connected. He was making any headway and angrily tooted his horn.  
"Keep the noise down!" Jack turned as Alfie and Fredrick came towards him, looking concerned.  
"Sorry, I am just a bit frustrated." Jack said.  
"We thought you were having trouble with Elizabeth's load, but where is she?" Alfie asked.  
"I don't know, she must've been held up." Jack said.  
"Well, why don't you go and investigate?" Fredrick suggested. "We need those bricks to help progress and complete the pool." Jack was going to reply, but he suddenly came up with a brilliant idea.  
"Of course, Alfie and I will go and do that." Jack said, grinning.  
"We will?" Alfie said, slightly surprised.  
"Yes, we will. Now wait here, I need to ask Fredrick something." Fredrick looked equally as surprised as Alfie as Jack lead him behind some trees, away from view.  
"I need you to go and get the safe and put it in a more accessible area." Jack explained.  
"What!" Fredrick exclaimed, and Jack glared at him. "What?" He said, quieter.  
"I need to check something about that safe. If you don't get the chance to do it, than it is fine, I'll do it when I get back." Jack explained, and went to move, but Fredrick blocked him with his scoop.  
"I don't think that this is a good idea, what if we are seen?"  
"It's not like there are spies watching us." Jack chuckled, and he quickly reversed and ploughed through some bushes.  
"So, are we going then?" Alfie said.  
"Yep, Fredrick is going to tell Miss Jenny." Jack said loudly, and Fredrick groaned as he emerged from the bushes.  
"Youth." He sighed, as Jack and Alfie raced off, and turned left, taking the route of the Chrysler and not of Isabella and Magenta. Fredrick raised an eyebrow, but he had gotten used to realising that Jack was the sort that didn't really give people the full story.

Half an hour later, Kelly was the only machine up near the actual hotel. He had seen Jack and Alfie leave, and Fredrick had idled out of sight soon after, but he hadn't noticed anyone else pass him. The men were moving quickly, wishing to have everything laid in fast so that the hotel could actual head towards completion, as the opening date was drawer closer and closer. So Kelly had managed to get all the room walls lowered in by midday. Men were now securing the walls, though Kelly wasn't quite sure why the walls appeared to be just blocks of wood put together.  
"They have to attach in the wires and plumbing." Miss Jenny chuckled when he asked. "After they do that, they cover them up and you have a wall." Kelly nodded, though it still seemed rather silly.  
"I don't understand what these people do; they are working above my line of sight, I can't even see them!" He replied, and Miss Jenny nodded, though she turned away and continued to chortle. Kelly watched as she left, with her black Labrador following after her. He remembered several years ago when the dog had just been a puppy, and the Pack consisted of just Kelly, Byron, Oliver, Alfie and Isabella. Times seemed so much more relaxed back then. But now Kelly was under pressure to start lifting up the floor sections, lowering them down and starting making the second floor. He could hear lots of hammering and shouting from the floor, and men were standing on rebuilt scaffolding and directing telling which way his arm should be going. He had lowered down three of these sections when there were two familiar toots. Kelly groaned and looked around as Isabella and Magenta screeched to a halt.  
"We have more building blocks for you." Isabella said.  
"Joy, please stand back." Kelly said, and he began to lift up the next roof section.  
"What's got your winch in a knot?" Magenta asked.  
"I am just a bit tired." Kelly said.  
"How can you be tired, we've been working our back bumpers off for ages while you've been relaxing?" Magenta snorted. Kelly rolled his eyes and began to lift up the section.  
"He hasn't really been relaxing, he has done work." Isabella said.  
"But he still had tons of free time!" Magenta insisted. "To stay inside the shed, having an extra rest, dream about a certain someone." She added, smiling widely.  
"Ooh, who?" Isabella asked. "I've always known he's had a crush on someone, who is it?" Kelly let out an angry cry and swung his arm in rage. It smashed into the wall facing the golf course, knocking it over and destroying the hotel room walls. The crane dropped the roof section, and it landed on the scaffolding and destroyed it, causing men to jump as the plans smashed under their feet.  
"I've had enough!" Kelly growled, and he reversed and then sped off, blinded with rage and heading towards the forest.  
"KELLY!" Isabella yelled, and made to move after, but the scaffolding blocked her way. Magenta moved up with her, looking concerned.  
"Was it something I said?"

After travelling for half an hour, Jack found the Chrysler limo parked outside a fancy looking white cottage with a blue tiled roof. Jack and Alfie were progressing slowly towards it. Jack had told Alfie that they were going slow in case Elizabeth had come off the road, but the front loader had been searching for this limo. He wanted to see if he could find any evidence against Cedric, but Jack had been hoping for something more exciting that the limo parked outside the cottage.  
"What are we doing all the way out here?" Alfie said, looking around. "I don't think Elizabeth would come along here." Than the excavator turned and saw the limo. "That belongs to Cedric, doesn't it?" He looked over at Jack, who was looking disappointed. Alfie gasped and Jack shushed him.  
"Why are you gasping?"  
"You aren't looking for Elizabeth, you wanted to find Cedric!" Alfie said, sounding appalled.  
"So what if I did, there is some stuff I want to know about him." Jack said, and went back to watching. There was some movement behind the silk curtains, and Jack could make out the silhouette of a rather burly man, most likely Jacob.  
"I want to leave, this is really stupid." Alfie said, rolling his eyes.  
"I want to know where these bodies are all coming from and why some are disappearing." Jack hissed. "You found one, you should be interested in this!"  
"Technically I didn't find one; I uncovered its burial place." Alfie corrected. Jack rolled his eyes and went to retort, but suddenly something rammed into him.  
"What the hell?" Jack said, as a man appeared between them, and briskly attached hooks to their arms. The man rushed backwards, giving Jack and Alfie time to exchange looks before being yanked backwards. They moved for about five metres, eventually stopping behind several larges trees. The man came back and unhooked them. Jack and Alfie had the chance to examine him, and saw that he was wearing a black sort of suit, though without a shirt or tie, white gloves, black shoes and was covering his face with a bowler hat.  
"I am sorry for dragging you two away, but I needed to do this in secret." The man said. "Now, I cannot reveal my name, but I am a member of an elite organisation, and…"  
"Oh hurry up Alpha, I don't have all day!" Jack and Alfie looked behind them and saw a black 2008 Nissan Titan Ute smiling at them. The man, Alpha, sighed and dropped his secretive attitude.  
"Meet Canton, my assistant, if you will." He said, and Canton gave a slight toot of his horn. "Anyway, as I was saying, I work for a secret organisation, and I have been assigned the task of investigating a certain man."  
"Ooh, who?" Alfie said, but Jack knew the answer.  
"It's Mr Berrob, isn't it?" He said, and Alpha nodded.  
"I have been on this case since before you received your contract, but the case against Cedric has gotten steadily stronger since the first body was found." Alpha explained. "I cannot reveal the full details of my assignment, though you are free to take any sort of guess. However, we believe he is connected to the bodies that were found, and that there may be two more bodies left to uncover."  
"Maybe he was behind the bomb blast!" Alfie said.  
"Well, actually, that was us." Canton said calmly.  
"WHAT!" Jack and Alfie yelled, and Alpha looked strict and they remained quiet.  
"On that night, we decided to try and put you off the contract, make you think that someone was out to get you. My worries about Cedric back then are nothing compared to what they are now. Yes, we planted a bomb to try and scare you, though we didn't intend for Isabella to get stuck. We also started a fire near your yard, though our sign was burnt too quickly."  
"How do you know Isabella's name?" Jack asked suspiciously.  
"I know everything there is to know about the Sodor Construction Company." Alpha said. "But I must deliver our warning: drop the contract and leave the Arlesdale Forest. Preferably demolish the hotel in the process."  
"We can't leave, this is a major contract!" Alfie said.  
"If you don't leave, you'll probably all be turned into teapots." Canton growled.  
"I will try and contact you all again, but we must leave in case Cedric comes back this way." And Alpha rushed over to Canton and climbed in.  
"But wait, we have questions!" Jack said. But Canton was already reversing. With a last smile, the Ute turned around and raced away. Jack and Alfie remained still, not bothering to chase after. They remained silent, and after a minute, exchanged looks and began to head back, their minds reeling with new and old questions, and a feeling of dread that may have something to do with the mention of teapots.

Isabella and Magenta had tried looking for Kelly all around the construction site, but even if he had lowered his arm, he would be easy to spot, and there was no sign of him anywhere.  
"Where could he have possibly gone?" Magenta said as the cousins met near the hotel. The scaffolding was being rebuilt and Miss Jenny was trying to sort things out.  
"I checked the pool, and the arcade, and a bit down the railway." Isabella said sadly. "Wait a minute, we haven't checked the cave!"  
"Do you think he would have gone there?" Magenta asked.  
"It's our last shot, let's go!" Isabella said, and the two rushed off. They sped past the railway line, hastily replying to Frank's friendly toot. The lorries rushed along the new road leading towards the lane, and after half a minute of green, they emerged out, speeding quickly, the cave entrance in their-  
"WATCH IT!" Isabella braked hard, and Magenta smashed into her back bumper. Patrick was in front of them, concrete pouring out of his mixer into a boxed area  
"Sorry, didn't see you there." Isabella said apologetically. Patrick grunted, and the two lorries quickly reversed and moved around. They were surprised to see that the barrier for the cave had been moved, though it confirmed their suspicions. Isabella gave Magenta a look, and she nodded and they went in.  
Light disappeared quickly, and the lorries turned their own headlamps on as they entered.  
"This place is really creepy!" Magenta whispered.  
"Ssssh…. I think something is in front of us." Isabella said quietly, and she moved slightly. The beam of light caught a tyre, and she reversed slightly and caught a moustache and the light was reflected.  
"Fredrick!" Magenta gasped. Fredrick gasped and quickly moved around, covering up what he was doing.  
"So you were the one who moved the barricade." Isabella said.  
"Well, no, actually, um, it was moved when I arrived." The digger flustered.  
"Did you see Kelly enter?" Magenta asked.  
"No, but I saw him move in this direction. I was held up chatting to Buster." Fredrick explained. Isabella tried to see what he was doing, but the only clue she got was some dirt trickling out of his scoop. But before she could question him, there was the sound of an engine reeving, as if a vehicle was trying to get out of mud.  
"Kelly!" Isabella said excitedly, and she rushed forwards, with Magenta moving just as quickly. Fredrick moved to avoid them, but Magenta smashed into his back tyre, and the force of her speeding caused Fredrick to jolt, and his scoop smashed into one of the wooden supports. It snapped in two and fell, causing the wood it had been holding to come loose.  
"This doesn't seem good." Magenta said.  
"The roof will cave in!" Fredrick gasped. He reversed back slight and shovelled some dirt over the safe, being careful so that Isabella and Magenta didn't notice.  
"We need to move, now!" Isabella said, as there was a crack above them. The three began to move forwards, but the tunnel was too narrow for all of them to pass at once, and they jammed up… right under the damaged section!  
"One of has to back down!" Isabella yelled.  
"Your old Fredrick, sacrifice yourself!" Magenta snapped.  
"Never, I am too valuable to this project!" Fredrick replied indignantly. "Why not you, we can just get Elizabeth to replace you!"  
"What! Well up yours you wretched old-"  
"AAAAAAAHHHH!" Isabella screeched, as dust and rocks trickled down on them, and the cracking rocks became louder.  
"We have to move!" Fredrick yelled. There was a different noise behind them, but none of them had space to see what the source was. Suddenly, the rocks above them began to tip. They all yelled and shut their eyes, expecting the worse.  
But it never came.  
Isabella was the first to dare open her eyes, and was shocked to see a light in front of them, but quickly realised it was the cave entrance. She then looked upwards and saw that a crane arm was up high, stopping the roof collapsing.  
"Kelly." Isabella whispered.  
"Go, quickly!" Kelly said. Due to this lifeline, Fredrick obliged to move backwards, allowing Magenta to speed forwards, and than the digger followed. Isabella went to turn, but Kelly had been prepared.  
"Leave, I am fine, just go!" Isabella froze, about to turn around, than she stifled a sob and rushed forwards. As she burst into daylight, she found that Buster, Patrick and Byron had gathered around, questioning Fredrick and Magenta. Isabella turned around and looked into the cave, and saw Kelly speeding towards her. The tunnel was collapsing behind him, and everyone cheered as he sped out, a cloud of dust chasing him. His crane arm looked a bit bent, and his front bumper had fallen off, but Kelly didn't seem to care, and just shut his eyes and breathed deeply, and Isabella knew that she would have to leave him in peace, for now.

As the sun set over the hotel, Nelson prepared to take Kelly to the works to have his repairs done.  
"I am sorry for doing this to you Miss Jenny." Kelly said.  
"It is alright Kelly, I understand the stress you were under." Miss Jenny said warmly, though she did look very worried. Isabella and Magenta were waiting nervously alongside. Kelly looked over at them and smiled.  
"You two shouldn't feel guilty, it was my decision to go into the mine."  
"We heard something reeving, was it you?" Isabella asked.  
"Yeah, I went in to do some thinking, and my wheels got stuck when I tried to get out. When I did, I heard the screaming and rushed over."  
"Very noble." Magenta said. "But I still feel guilty."  
"Well, as I saved you, I think you can repay me by not being giggly around my again, agreed?" Kelly asked.  
"Agreed!" Isabella and Magenta chorused, and the three chortled.  
"I am ready to go when you are Kelly." Nelson said, as he stopped winching the crane up. Kelly nodded and looked down at the girls.  
"See you when I get back, and don't give the crane too much hassle." Isabella and Magenta laughed, and Nelson began to head off.  
"Bye!" The lorries called, and watched as Nelson sped down the driveway and disappeared. Everyone else started coming near the car park, and Isabella and Magenta didn't want to be questioned and decided to head home.  
"Bye girls." Miss Jenny said as she passed. Then, she saw Jack and Alfie in deep discussion. "Boys, I head you went looking for Elizabeth." The two froze, looking reasonably worried.  
"Um… we really want to finish the pool." Jack said quickly.  
"I can understand that. But I had received a call that Elizabeth had broken down, and when I came out to tell you, you'd already left." Miss Jenny chortled, and Jack and Alfie laughed loudly and fakely.

"How ironic!" Alfie said, and the two continued to laugh and turned, preparing to head home. Miss Jenny watched them for a minute before sighing.  
"My machines are so weird." And she turned and walked off. Jack and Alfie made sure she was out of earshot before talking.

"Are you going to tell me what this is all about or what?" Alfie asked. "If I am going to help you snoop about Cedric again and risk getting blown up, I need all the details." Jack pondered for a minute, and didn't see why he had to keep secrets from his best friend, and let Fredrick, Buster and Patrick know everything.  
"Ok, I'll tell you everything I know, though it may take a while." Jack said, and as the two friends headed home, he began to tell Alfie everything.

The only light inside the small hotel room came from a thick, cream coloured candle. It sat on the corner of an oak desk, alongside books, maps, pieces of paper, pens- all in a neat and immaculate manner.  
Cedric sat in his cosy armchair that he had had brought with him from London. He was staring at the upmost piece of paper on his desk. It had five names on it: Clarence Richards, Vernon Green, Albert Freeman, William Baker and Robert Rutherford. A neat red line had been ruled across the three names. Cedric put the piece of paper down and picked up a map, unfolding it with such care you'd expect it to turn to dust at any moment. But it was a fairly recent map of the whole of Sodor. A pentagon had been drawn around the Mid Sodor area. Three of the lines were in red, the other two in pencil. Attached to the map were more detailed maps of certain sections, such as the Mid Sodor railway, the castle ruins, Thomas' branch line. Cedric stared at the map briefly before folding it back up, yawning and scratching his chin.  
"Sir?" Cedric turned his head slightly and saw Jacob standing by the candle, looking excited.  
"Speak, quickly." Cedric said.  
"I have just received a call. One of our informants called and said that some of the machines hid William Baker's body." Cedric looked up, mildly interested. "And they have just found it and dug it up." Cedric didn't say anything, except for grabbing a red pen and a ruler.  
"Thank you Jacob, you are excused." Jacob nodded and left. Cedric picked up the list of names and began to update it. He was getting closer to finding the final body, and even closer to finding the treasure than ever before. All he had to rely on was a little bit of help from the Pack.


	13. Operation Quarry

Operation Quarry

It was morning just over a week after the incident in the cave, and the Pack had been gotten a proper nights sleep since then. They were absolutely exhausted: Cedric Berrob wanted them to the work themselves, as he didn't like paying for others to do the work. So Isabella and Magenta were rushing around every minute of the day, stopping for less than five minutes at a time. Max and Monty were always waiting to move dirt, but they were needed in about three places at once. The golf course was completed except for some minor environmental details. The swimming pool was half done, the last parts of the mini roller coaster were arriving soon, and the hotel itself was well underway. A giant crane had been brought in to take over Kelly's work, but it was slower and only one floor was being done a day. The hotel was beginning to look complete, but Miss Jenny was worried that they wouldn't meet the deadline, as they head only two weeks to complete the task.  
All the Pack were hoping to sleep in, but Miss Jenny had a habit of getting them up right at seven' o'clock.  
"Come on everyone, chop chop!" She yelled, and ran a cow bell to assist her. The machines all groaned, opening their eyes slowly and blinking to adjust to the light. Max honked his horn angrily as Miss Jenny passed, and she whacked him on the nose. She stood in front of them all, and they could see he crumpled clothing, with a stain on her shirt, and her hair wasn't in a ponytail, and looked like it hadn't been washed in days.

"Miss Jenny, you look horrible!" Jack gasped. Some of the others smirked, but they were too tired.  
"Thank you Jack. I haven't had as much time lately to tend to my looks." Miss Jenny replied, and sniffed her clothing and gagged. "But anyway, there is a lot to do today. Of course, our rental crane will be doing the hotel. The Arlesdale Engines are brining us some supplies and I want you to help unload. The pool needs to be finished, the lane near the cave still has to be paved and the arcade area needs to be taken care of." The machines all nodded and went to leave, but Miss Jenny raised a hand. "Jack, Alfie, Max and Monty please wait, the rest may leave." The four moved over, while most of the others left, with Nelson staying to take Buster.  
"Is this about me honking?" Max said.  
"No no, I have a special job for you four." Miss Jenny explained. "We need some rock to be collected from Anopha Quarry. Mr Berrob would like the rocks to help improve the garden areas and maybe make a special mural if there is space."  
"Wouldn't it be better if we helped with the actual hotel?" Alfie said.  
"I thought you'd like a change of scenery." Miss Jenny said, slightly surprised.  
"Of course, I am sick of that forest!" Jack said, and Miss Jenny smirked.  
"Mavis will show you the spot you are allowed to dig from. I have to go and get changed before I meet Mr Berrob. See you later!" She said, and rushed off.  
"Let's go then guys!" Jack said, and the four rushed out of the yard and headed for the quarry.

The sun was shining bright over the Pack, and by the time they reached the hotel, they were already hot. The Foreman was waiting for them, and quickly pointed them off in the right directions: Buster and Patrick to finish the lower lane, Ned and Oliver to work on the swimming pool, Byron and Fredrick to make sure the ground was smooth near the arcade before it had cement placed. Isabella and Magenta already knew to wait until they were told where to go, and listened impatiently to an apprentice explaining which yard to go to, before speeding off in a cloud of dust.  
By eleven' o'clock, Cedric had arrived, his Chrysler limo being parked in a spot at the car park, where men were busy painting the white lines.  
"Hello Miss Packard." Cedric said as he stepped out, putting on some white gloves. Miss Jenny had changed clothes and had a shower, though Cedric still sniffed the air and frowned, highly unimpressed.  
"Hello Mr Berrob." Miss Jenny said, noticing this put carrying on. "What would you like to visit first today? The swimming pool is nearly-"  
"That is a different crane." Cedric said, staring upwards. Kelly's replacement was a six storey crane, a bit higher than the hotel's proposed height. It had no paint or face, and was creaking a lot.  
"There was an incident with our usual crane." Miss Jenny said. "We would have needed a different crane anyway for the top of the hotel."  
"I suppose so." Cedric said, and he began to walk towards the pool section. Miss Jenny followed him, and was surprised when Jacob appeared, having not noticed him getting out of the limo. They walked over some newly laid paving stones that would soon be put in place properly, and spent a few minutes examine the pool. It was nearly complete, with lots of blue tiles scattered everywhere and the shallow and deep ends becoming more distinguishable. Cedric merely nodded, only occasionally asking questions. Miss Jenny could tell something was on his mind, but choose not to ask what was wrong. The three were heading towards the lane when a worker rushed up, looking extremely worried.  
"Miss Jenny, th-th-the crane, something is seriously wrong!" He cried. Miss Jenny ran after him, Cedric and Jacob following behind. One of the support beams on the crane had snapped, and the whole thing was close to tumbling down.  
"Everyone clear out of the way!" The Foreman was yelling into a megaphone. People were rushing everywhere.  
"My car…" Cedric said.  
"There's no time, run!" Miss Jenny said, and pushed him out of the way as the cranes winch snapped, causing its loads to crash down a metre away from them.  
"We need to move sir, now!" Jacob yelled, and dragged Cedric away. Miss Jenny ran behind, looking back to make sure they were safe. She watched in horror as another beam of the crane snapped, and the whole thing began to topple down. Cedric turned around as well, and his eyes followed the crane until it went out of sight. Than there was a loud crash, a scream and the sound of snapping wood. Miss Jenny ran back towards the car park, and saw that a large crack had appeared in the tarmac. Isabella and Magenta were frozen several feet away, staring down at the crane's arm which had narrowly avoided them. But the main part of the crane had landed right on the Chrysler limo. All of the glass had shattered, and the roof had caved in.  
"Oh Cedric, I am so sorry!" Miss Jenny gasped, walking over some bits of wood to examine things closer. She looked back at Cedric, who was staring at the car, a more blank expression on his face.  
"It is only a car." He said at last. "A very expensive car, but only a car. I have lots of money; I can just buy a new one." Miss Jenny nodded at this logic, but Jacob was looking a bit uncertain. He whispered something into his bosses ear, but was only ignored.  
"I would like to borrow one of your machines or cars to get me home."  
"Of course." Miss Jenny said. "You can borrow Nelson, our transporter, if you like."  
"Perfect." Cedric replied. "Now, you were going to show me the arcade area?" Miss Jenny nodded, and they headed off towards the clearing as if nothing had happened. Isabella and Magenta exchanged looks, and they quickly rushed away, as Byron and Fredrick came to tidy up the mess.

As usual, the sun was frying the machines as they struggled to carry on with their work. And as usual, Patrick was bored silly.  
"Are you nearly done?" The cement mixer sighed, watching as Buster smoothed a small section of the path. Patrick had to wait for each section to be completed, and then the men would set up the next bit and he would come in, fill it with the cement, and move back under a tree and wait for Buster. The steamroller had had to put up with similar attitudes since the work had begun, and he was not happy another day of it.  
"Would you just keep your bad attitude to yourself?" Buster snapped. The workers had all left to investigate the crash, and the machines were along and could talk freely. However, Patrick made sure the coast was clear before replying.  
"Why don't we bunk off and head towards the cave?" He said. "I could do with a bit of action." Buster stopped moving and turned towards his friend, half smirking, half scowling.  
"You don't need a bit of action, you need a new brain!" He laughed. "Aren't you forgetting the simple fact that the tunnel caved in?"  
"Not by much!" Patrick huffed. "We both know that the safe is near the entrance, so if we got Thumper to move some of the rocks, we could just sneak on in and-"  
"You don't want action!" Buster cried, rolling backwards in shock. "You don't trust the safe being there!" Patrick looked annoyed about being found out, but regained his cool.  
"On my way back the other day, I saw Caroline. She isn't always the best car to chat to, but she said she had heard some cricketers talking about another body being found. What if they found ours?"  
"They can't have found it, no one else knew about it!" Buster snapped. "Besides, Miss Jenny would have told us if another body was found, and where."  
"Maybe she knows and doesn't want to stress us out. Or, or, or…. Maybe she doesn't know. She could have heard, but was too tired and forgot." Buster was take aback but these points, and while he pondered them, Patrick continued. "All I am saying, if a body we hid up in the middle of nowhere got found, what if the safe gets found as well? I say we get Fredrick, dig it up and move it again, or we move it further into the mine." Buster thought for a second, and remembered that Fredrick had been in the cave when it had caved in. What if he also thought to move it, but didn't get enough time? After a few minutes thinking, Buster nodded, and Patrick tooted his horn happily and raced away to find those they needed.

It took Jack, Alfie, Max and Monty nearly an hour to get to Anopha Quarry. It was the busy time of the morning, and they got caught behind lines of traffic at level crossings, watching as Thomas, Toby and Daisy took their passengers to and from Knapford.  
"This is taking forever!" Monty groaned, as they halted once more to let Flora pass along the tramway with some empty trucks.  
"We are only about two minutes away!" Alfie said, rolling his eyes. But Max and Monty raced forwards as soon as the breakvan was cleared, and Jack and Alfie followed after. The tarmac road soon turned into dirt, and they all coughed as dust stung their eyes. They were instantly struck by the noise of the quarry: giggling trucks, the sound of rocks being broken, the honk of Mavis' horn, and general chatter from the workers.  
"I have been waiting for you guys!" Mavis cried, honking her horn as she spotted them over the trucks. Max and Monty were forced to slow down in order to navigate through all the lines of trucks in the sidings.  
"I'll take the ones nearest the entrance." Flora called.  
"Thanks a lot, I follow you down shortly." Mavis smiled, and turned towards the machines. "Ok, I have a lot to do today, so can we make this quick?"  
"Of course, you look just as busy as us!" Alfie smiled, turning his cab around and staring at the dozens of trucks. Mavis smirked, and then she trundled forwards. Jack and Alfie followed alongside, and smiled to Mavis' driver, who waved to them. Half a minute later, Mavis brought them to a small spot near her shed.  
"You can take the stone from here." The diesel said. "And don't muck around, we can't have you smashing into trucks or causing a landslide."  
"Don't worry about us." Jack said, but just then, Max and Monty began arguing, accusing the other of bumping the other. "Well… you can worry about those two." Mavis laughed and wished them good luck, before reversing to help Flora with the trucks.  
"Stop fighting you two and get over here!" Alfie snapped. Max and Monty huffed and rolled over, positioning themselves as Jack made his first attempt to break the rock.  
Secluded at the entrance, George, Mac and Grudge watched the Pack set to work. Grudge was behind his two colleagues, listening in as they planned.  
"I want to go and destroy them now!" Mac growled, reeving his engine.  
"No, not while those two skirts are still here." George growled, indicating towards Mavis and Flora, who were chatting while the couplings were secured on Flora's train. Mac huffed and reversed, but George turned around and smiled.  
"Don't worry my fine oily friend," The steamroller said. "Once they are gone, we can easily start getting rid of the Pack once and for all!"

Nelson wasn't under as much stress as the rest of the Pack, but he was still out and about with them all everyday. His main job was to take the slower Pack members to the site, as usual, but he now also helped collect loads and moved Thumper around. The transporter felt sorry for the others, until they went onto his trailer, making Nelson struggle with their massive weights.  
Nelson had just moved Thumper down towards the lane, as Miss Jenny wanted him to do some digging, and was hoping for a nice rest. However, he found the Foreman waiting for him, along with Cedric and Jacob.  
"Ah Nelson, glad you're finally here." The Foreman said cheerily. Nelson looked behind him and saw Fredrick scooping up some wood, but the Foreman gave a slight cough.  
"What can I do for you?" Nelson said, sneaking glances back towards the wreckage.  
"As you can see, our crane has unfortunately collapsed." The Foreman said. "The Chrysler limo was unfortunately crushed, so Mr Berrob and Jacob will be riding back with you."  
"We have important stuff to do, so let's move this along." Jacob said, and he walked over and opened up Nelson's driver door.  
"I can drive myself." Nelson snapped.  
"We know Nelson, but it may be better if you let Jacob take the wheel." The Foreman said. Nelson stared at the bodyguard and smiled. Jacob and Cedric climbed inside the cab and slammed the doors shut. Nelson began to roll forwards, and tried to listen in on whatever conversation the two began. But they remained silent, having seemingly planned out this beforehand. They drove in silence for five kilometres, twice turning around and heading back in the opposite direction. After half an hour, Nelson was considering driving them off the road when there was the sound of a ringing cell phone, and Nelson screeched to a halt.  
"Hello?" Jacob said. "Yes…. I see….. Are you absolute-…. Alright then, I'll pass it on." Jacob hung up.  
"Was it the excavation team?" Cedric said.  
"Yes, they went to the spot on the mountain." Jacob said, sounding irritated.  
"And?"  
"There was only a hole there." There was a slight silence, and Nelson could hear Cedric breathing deeply.  
"Do they have any idea where the thieves headed?"  
"There are tyre tracks, and they are following them. I think I know who it is though."  
"Canton." Cedric whispered.  
"Most likely. I'd imagine Alpha will try and hide it, so I'll get them to look up some satellite images." Jacob said, and Nelson heard the beep as numbers were tapped into the phone.  
"Good, now let's head back into town. I want to be ready to head towards them at any moment." Nelson suddenly spun around, and Jacob stamped onto his accelerator. Nelson didn't even know he could go this fast, but it was helpful. If he was going to get rid of his two unwanted passengers, speed would be a helpful factor.

It took Jack and Alfie an hour in order for them to break the rock. As their scoops were designed for this, it was a real hassle. The big problem was that they usually only got small bits, not suitable enough for decoration. In that time, Flora and Mavis had both returned, and had left with a train each in that time. The sounds of the laughing trucks and the many jobs amongst the quarry were oblivious to Jack and Alfie, as they put all their concentration into the task at hand. Max and Monty were growing restless, and were staring off into space towards the trees on the quarry outskirts.  
"Monty?" Max said.  
"What?" Monty grunted.  
"I think someone is watching us."  
"Some of the men probably are, idiot!"  
"I am not idiot!" Max growled. "And I was looking at the trees over there; I thought I saw something move." Monty looked over as well, but was distracted as Alfie scooped up one large rock and several smaller ones.  
"It is probably just a bird or something." Monty concluded, and looked over towards the rocky ledges above them. Max stared at the trees, but saw nothing move again, and followed his brother's line of sight. Jack and Alfie worked for several more minutes, filling up the two dump trucks, before admitting defeat.  
"These rocks are too strong for us!" Jack sighed.  
"Let's head back and report to Miss Jenny." Alfie said, and he began rolling forwards. But suddenly, there was a bang, and the four turned. Some of the trucks had rolled forwards somehow, breaking the buffers.  
"Mavis and Flora aren't here." Max whispered.  
"Maybe its Toby, or the wind pushed them." Jack suggested, sounding uneasy.  
"Do I like a tram or wind?" A familiar voice said, and George appeared from behind the trucks. He seemed to think it was a dramatic entrance, and looked over towards the Pack. Max and Monty growled, but Jack and Alfie rolled their eyes and moved forwards.  
"Hey hey hey, what's with the cold bumper?" George snapped, causing Jack and Alfie to stop.  
"What, do you want us to act friendly to you?" Jack snapped, as Grudge and Mac rolled out from behind the trucks.  
"Of course not, but I would like you to be struck with fear!" George said dramatically.  
"Sorry to tell you this, but all of your failed attempts to destroy us don't really show you three as powerful enemies." Alfie said, and Jack, Max and Monty laughed.  
"Don't laugh at us, scum!" Mac hissed.  
"Try and stop us!" Jack said, and he raised his scoop and forced it into a truck nearby. Alfie did the same, and George and Mac looked a bit worried.  
"Grudge, go and stop them!" George ordered.  
"Why me?" Grudge huffed.  
"You have a scoop, you can fight them. Now go!" Mac ordered.  
"If you insist." Grudge sighed, and he sped forwards. Max charged and slammed into the digger, forcing him to smash into the trucks. Mac used the opportunity to try and hit Max, but Monty had guessed this and slammed into his cousin. While this occurred, Jack and Alfie began throwing rocks towards George. Some workers tried to stop them, but fled as George flattened two trucks while dodging the flying rocks.  
On the other side of the quarry, in a secluded area between two large rocks, a 2008 black Nissan Titan was parked, staring towards its owner. The owner had just finished digging a hole, and know picked up the tarp wrapped around the rotting corpse and threw it in.  
"Thank goodness, that thing smelt horrible!" Canton huffed. Alpha turned to his car and frowned.  
"It is a corpse, what do you expect?" He looked down at his suit, and saw that there was some dirt on his pants. Alpha sighed, before beginning to cover up the body. They could hear the distant sounds of crashes and the sounds of honking horns.  
"Sounds like something is up." Canton said.  
"I'll finish burying this, and then we'll investigate." Alpha replied. Canton nodded, and watched as Alpha clumsily spread the dirt. It looked poorly done, and it was obvious something had been reburied. But Alpha was in a rush to see what the commotion was, and as the bangs got louder, Alpha rushed over to his car, opened the door and jumped in, tossing the spade onto the passenger seat. Canton reversed, turned and sped towards the noise.

Nelson was desperate to know what Cedric and Jacob were planning, what had been dug up, and who Alpha and Canton were. The transporter had figured something dodgy had been happening since the first body was found, but things had been increasing. Fredrick, Patrick and Buster had been acting odd for weeks, and now Jack and Alfie had been having whispered conversations a lot lately. But it now seemed that Cedric and Jacob had something happening, and whatever had been dug up was a part of it. Nelson wanted to try and coax some information out of them, but as they drove along Ffarqhuar Road, the cell phone rang again.  
"Hello?" Jacob said. "Uh huh… uh huh… alright…. Excellent." And he hung up. "They have tracked them down, they are at Anopha Quarry."  
"Excellent." Cedric said, sounding very pleased. "Take me there at once."  
"Obviously." Jacob smirked, and Nelson began to race forwards once again. Nelson was worried: he had heard Miss Jenny telling Jack, Alfie and the twins to go Anopha Quarry. He had to make sure they were alright, and allowed Jacob to make him speed.

The battle at the quarry was in full swing: Max and Monty were ramming repeatedly into Mac, who was fighting to smash them, and Grudge, who would be willing to get tipped onto his side. George, meanwhile, was smashing into all the trucks, covering himself with dust to hide from Jack and Alfie. This didn't stop them throwing their rocks, but they had to be a bit more precise, as there were still lots of men around, and they didn't want to injure them.  
"Give it up, you lot can't defeat us!" Mac snarled, as he rammed into Monty's side.  
"We are just better than you all!" George said, and he pushed some trucks forwards. They crashed into Max and burst open, stopping him from tackling Grudge.  
"They're right, this is too hard." Alfie muttered to Jack. "Should we just give up?"  
"No, we can't let them win!" Jack hissed. "Someone will come to help us, like Mavis, or Flora, or… or…."  
"Canton?" Alfie said, his eyes wide with shock. Jack spun around as the black ute raced towards them, ramming directly into Mac.  
"What's going on?" Grudge said, sounding worried.  
"Nothing to worry about." Canton replied, smashing into Mac again and denting his right door. "I'm just here to teach you all a lesson."  
"I don't want to learn anything." Grudge said. George growled and charged, but Canton moved swiftly, hitting George with such force that he rolled backwards as far as the workers, who all ran to avoid being squashed. Mac and Grudge rolled backwards a bit as well, and Jack and Alfie sped forwards.  
"Canton, what brings you here?" Alfie said. Canton was stunned to see the two, and began to back away.  
"Oh, secretive business, as you can guess." He replied. "Nothing that concerns you two. I just heard a noise and decide to come and-" But Canton was interrupted by Mac, who was speeding forwards, a look of upmost fury upon his face.

"I'm going to kill you!" The dump truck roared. Max and Monty were to slow to react, and Mac raced past them. Canton stared at Mac, as if he was willing to be struck. But at the last second, he reversed out of the way. Mac saw this and tried to stop, but at his speed, all he did was make his tyres screech. He spun around, and, to the horror of them all, Mac's back wheels tipped over the edge of a hill.  
"Crap." He snarled, and then he tipped over.  
"Mac!" George yelled, and he and Grudge raced over, along with the pack members. They went on either side of Canton, staring down the hill where a fire was clearly visible. But there was no sign of Mac. Grudge let out a sob and raced away, while George stared towards his flaming friend until he exploded, sending metal flying. A bit of rubber and a tiny piece of metal landed nearby, and even Jack and Alfie looked horror struck.  
"George, this is really sad, we are so sorry." Alfie said, but George ignored him. Jack and Alfie exchanged looks and looked at Max and Monty. The two dump trucks were rather stone-faced, and stared down at the remains of their cousin.  
Suddenly, there were screams from behind them. They all turned and saw Nelson, speeding out of control.

Jacob was turning the steering wheel madly, making all the workers run and jump. He laughed with great joy each time one of them yelled, and Cedric even smirked at this.  
"I can see the car." Jacob said, staring towards Canton. "Shall I ram him over the edge?"  
"No, I'd prefer if you stopped." Cedric said, pulling a Glock semi automatic handgun out of his jacket. "I'd would be much more entertaining to blow Alpha up." Jacob nodded, and he took his foot off the accelerator and went for the brake, but Nelson kept speeding.  
"What's wrong?" Cedric asked.  
"Weren't you taught not to trust something that can think for itself?" Nelson yelled. Jacob cried out and tried to brake again, but Nelson began to spin around. His whole body and trailer moved in a wide, sweeping circle. His flatbed smashed through a breakvan in a siding. Jacob tried to open his door, but Nelson had locked them.  
"You aren't getting out until I say so!" Nelson said, and he raced forwards. Cedric raised his gun and fired bullets through the windows. Nelson winced, but he couldn't stop now.  
"Nelson, what's going on?" Jack yelled. The transporter didn't reply, and instead drove straight into the side of Mavis' wooden shed. The force of the impact caused the airbags to burst, smothering Cedric and Jacob, and the supports of the shed gave way. The structure collapsed, burying Nelson and his passengers in wood. While this occurred, George and Grudge slipped out of the quarry, while a honk and a bell sounded, and Mavis and Flora rolled in, buffer to buffer.  
"What the hell has happened here?" Mavis gasped, staring around at the dozens of broken trucks, loose rocks and her destroyed shed. Jack and Alfie stammered, unsure what to say.  
"I'm not getting in trouble!" Max yelled, and he turned and sped off.  
"Me neither!" Monty bellowed, and raced after his brother.  
"Is Nelson under the roof?" Flora asked. The two engines moved forwards to investigate, and the quarry workmen seemed to think it would be safe to move now. A car door slammed, and Alpha raced forwards, a dirty spade in one hand and a gun in the other.  
"Don't go anywhere near here!" The agent yelled.  
"Alpha, what is going on?" Jack asked.  
"There isn't time for questions!" Canton cried.  
"Would someone please explain what is happening?" Flora said desperately. The workmen were all crowding around, watching Alpha as he threw away bits of wood and opening the driver's door on Nelson. He stared inside before wheeling around.  
"No one is in there." He said.  
"But how did they es-" Alfie said, but he was interrupted by a loud thud. Every eye turned and looked towards the lines of trucks. They had all stopped giggling and were also looking at the large fuel barrel nestling inside one of them. A long rope had been coiled around, and a flame was making it's way towards the top.  
"This is going to hurt." The truck said, and shut his eyes as the last bit of the rope was consumed by flames.  
The explosion was extravagant: a cloud of dark orange and grey, which looked almost solid, rising up from the truck and obliterating everything in its path. The trucks all yelled as they were destroyed, men either ran away or were tossed aside like leaves in the wind. Rocks were flying everywhere, Jack and Alfie raced for cover, Flora and Mavis were hit, causing them to derail. Alpha ran towards Canton, leaving Nelson behind to become trapped, the wood from the shed erupting into flames. The secret agent rushed into his car, slammed the door, and Canton rushed him away. Alfie turned to watch them and was hit by a rock, smashing his right side and knocking him over.  
While this all occurred, Cedric and Jacob ran into the quarry, past worried workers investigating the explosion. The only injuries the two villains sported were cuts and bruises, and Jacob couldn't help laugh as he listened to the yells and screams echoing behind them.

Buster and Patrick watched as Thumper smashed through the rocks blocking the cave entrance. They had been at it for half an hour, but it was taking longer than expected. Fredrick was keeping lookout, as work for the day had come to an early close, due to some major accident at Anopha Quarry. Only these four remained.  
"This rock is too tough!" Thumper moaned. "My pistons are hurting!"  
"Take a quick rest." Buster smiled.  
"We don't have time for quick rests!" Patrick snapped. "We are running behind as it is."  
"Calm down!" Buster snapped back. "Just let the poor machine have a quick break." Buster was about to retaliate, but Fredrick had just honked his horn. They all looked around as the Foreman began to walk down the hill, looking very cross.  
"What are you doing down here, you're meant to be back at the yard!" He yelled. Buster and Patrick exchanged curious looks, but Thumper moved himself so that he was facing a different area.  
"These two saw a tree hanging up above, and thought I could break the rock and bring it down under controlled circumstances." Patrick and Buster were stunned but didn't show it. The Foreman looked up and there was indeed an ancient tree poking through the rocks.  
"I see…." He said, nodding and looking flustered. "Sort it out tomorrow, we need to head back now!" Patrick and Buster nodded, and went as quickly as possible up the hill.  
"Did he buy your excuse?" Fredrick muttered.  
"Thankfully." Buster said, smiling.  
"But tomorrow, we have to try and get through that rock." Patrick said. "Who knows what could happen if we don't, the world could end!" Fredrick and Buster rolled their eyes at his over exaggeration, but all three of them knew that something dodgy was happening, and that safe could solve everything.

A ten metre wide crater was now in the middle of the quarry yard. Thousands of bits of wood lay everywhere, and any that were still flaming where quickly quashed by firemen. Jack watched this all occurring, as he tried to take in what had happened.  
As soon as the explosion had cleared, Jack had instantly begun scooping up dust and rocks, scattering them over the shed remains. There was a risk of a full inferno destroying Nelson, but the front loader managed to quickly stop it. The quarry offices were still intact except for broken windows, and the manager called the Fat Controller and the Ffarqhuar Station Master. The Fat Controller called the Chief of Police, who allowed the cowcatcher and side plates law to bent, allowing Harvey and Rosie to rush up to the quarry with supplies. Jack watched as Harvey helped Flora and Mavis get on track, and Rosie brought a long line of trucks for rubble to be piled into. Butch had followed shortly after, towing Nelson out from under the wood, and then getting Alfie upright.  
"I'll be back from the works soon." Alfie had said. "Make sure that hotel is finished!" Jack had smiled, but then moved aside and watched as things unfolded.  
For the last hour, Jack had been seriously thinking about things: his friends, the hotel, Mac, Alpha and Canton, the explosion, and, most of all, Cedric. Had it been him hiding inside Nelson? Had they caused the explosion? Why had Nelson acted so crazy? And why were Alpha and Canton there? Nothing was making any sense, and Jack was in desperate need for a sleep.  
"Jack?" The front loader looked up. Miss Jenny was there, smiling warmly. "Hello Jack, I am here to take you home."  
"How is everyone?" Jack asked.  
"Nelson is very badly damaged: his roof caved in, his is dented all over, all of his windows had shattered, his trailer has a giant crack." Miss Jenny sighed. "But Alfie just has to have some stuff replaced, he'll be back soon." She began to walk, and Jack followed slowly after, looking around at the remains of several trucks as they went.

"Miss Jenny, who was Nelson carrying?" Jack asked.

"Oh, Cedric and Jacob. I didn't hear anything about them; did you see what happened to them?" Miss Jenny asked. Jack couldn't mention Alpha and Canton, and didn't want Nelson to get in trouble.  
"I was just wondering." He replied. Miss Jenny was satisfied with this, and she moved faster towards her car. Jack quickly rushed in front, wanting to get as far away from there as possible. So it had been Cedric and Jacob inside Nelson, and they had somehow survived the impact through the shed and fled before the explosion.  
As soon as Nelson was fit enough, Jack had quite a lot of questions to ask him.

It was midnight. Cedric was reading a crime novel, as always, but was in a different arm chair. The small cottage he was staying in was the same one that Jack, Alfie, Alpha and Canton had followed him to the week before. The cottage had belonged to a Montgomery Norman, aged 90, until last week. Montgomery had not co-operated, and was now buried in the back yard, alongside a cat that had died some years previously.  
As Cedric turned over a page, Jacob entered the room.  
"Yes?" Cedric sighed.  
"Robert Rutherford." Jacob said. "The autopsy is back, and no piece of the map was found." Cedric looked up from his book, his eye twitching slightly.  
"I see." He said.  
"Don't worry, I think Alpha may have it." Jacob said quickly.

"Well of course he has it." Cedric snapped. "He buried the body." It had taken Cedric, Jacob, and three two metre tall, exceedingly fit henchmen to find the body inside the quarry, and escape inside a silver 2006 Santa Fe car that had been stolen. Jacob had only just got the phone call with the news. Cedric put his book down and stood up, walking briskly over towards a desk covered with the maps and journals. He began to cross Robert Rutherford off his lists, joining Clarence Richards, Vernon Green, Albert Freeman and William Baker. As he worked, Jacob walked cautiously forwards.  
"Sir, is there anything you want me to do?" Cedric stopped working and turned around.  
"No Jacob, there isn't anything you can do." He snapped, clutching the ruler in his hand like a knife. "You have not been overly helpful lately. You convinced me to wait a few days before finding the fifth body, you convinced me to trust those stupid machines, you convinced me to continue wasting my money on the hotel, even thought we both know what is happening to it."  
"I-I-I-I just thought…." Jacob began, but got slapped with the ruler.  
"You never think, and it is about time I stop listening to your dribble!" Cedric roared. He pulled the Glock out of his coat and pulled the trigger. The bang was deafening in the confined space. Jacob collapsed to the ground, rapidly losing strength and blood, all seeping through a hole in his stomach. Cedric stared down at his bodyguard, the gun still pointed to where Jacob had just been.  
"Jacob, your fired." And with that, Cedric dropped the gun and the ruler, and walked back towards his chair and picked up his book. Jacob stared at the back of the chair, feeling his life ending.  
"Rot in hell." He croaked, and then let out a loud moan and shut his eyes, never to open them again. Cedric smirked and looked down to make sure Jacob was dead. He smiled with pride, until he noticed the blood.  
"Bugger, that's going to leave a stain."


	14. Operation Countdown

Operation Countdown

"Attention everyone, attention!"  
Jack, Alfie, Fredrick and Isabella were the only machines around, but Miss Jenny's megaphone reached to all corners of the hotel area. The other machines, including a fully repaired Kelly, trundled along perfectly crafted paths of grey stone bricks, smooth jet black tarmac and, if they had to, across the luscious green of the golf course. As the machines gathered, they either passed the sparkling waters of the pool, the bright red and yellow arcade building, with surrounding rainbow coloured miniature rollercoaster, or all the beautiful foliage arranged nearby. And they all congregated at the main attraction: the completed hotel.  
The cream coloured walls and pale brown windows and corners stood out amongst the forest surroundings. The roof was red and seemed to stretch up into the clouds. Above the glass entrance, the sign was covered by a blue tarpaulin. A name had been decided upon, but no one knew what it was. All the machines were debating, some thinking "Arlesdale Arms", others "The Grand Arlesdale Hotel." To decorate the entrance, there was a small fountain twenty metres in front of the door, surrounded by flowers and rocks. On either side of the door was a specially carved rock: one resembled an excavator, while the right one looked like an Arlesdale engine. Everything had been completed, from the shining glass windows in the building, right down to the flower beds around the edges of the car park. The only thing out of place was a wooden platform that was being erected as the Pack arrived. Miss Jenny, the Foreman, Cedric Berrob, The Fat Controller, The Small Controller and other important figures would be standing up there later that afternoon, giving speeches about what benefits the hotel will have and other stuff the Pack didn't really care about. All most of them could think about was that their work was nearly over.  
"Ah, this is going to be a glorious day." Oliver said happily to Ned, who was rolling nearby.  
"I think so too." The steam shovel replied. The two looked at Jack and Alfie who were moving slowly behind them.  
"Aren't you guys excited?" Oliver asked. Jack was surprised by this, but nodded quickly.  
"Oh yes, of course." He replied. "I can't wait to start the next big project!" Oliver and Ned smiled, before moving forwards. Jack then turned and looked at Alfie.  
"I still think something dodgy is going on!" He huffed.  
"Well no shit Sherlock." Alfie snapped. The two hadn't been able to talk to Nelson, due to him firstly being repaired, and then they had all been busy in the build up to the hotel opening. This meant the two didn't know the full story, but everyone had seen Cedric arrive briefly several days before to check the hotel was going fine. But Jack wanted answers: he wanted to know who had killed the people, what the maps led to, why Cedric was interested in them, and how they could stop them. Alfie was interested as well, but he didn't want to keep talking about it every single minute of every day.  
"Let us just hear what Miss Jenny has to say, and then we can keep talking if you want." Alfie said. Jack froze, with his mouth open slightly, and nodded in agreement. The two looked around as Miss Jenny put her megaphone down and climbed onto the half finished platform.  
"Hello everyone." She said, booming across to her machines. "I am pleased to announce that the last nail has been hammered, the last light bulb screwed in, the last piece of road flattened. And this means the hotel is ready to open!" This was met with a chorus of honks, whistle, yells of joy and engine reeving. Miss Jenny laughed before continuing. "There is just a little bit of tidying up that we need to do first. The Foreman will give you your assignments, but will Jack and Alfie come over here please?" She finished talking, and everyone moved towards the Foreman standing nearby.  
"You're going get in trouble!" Max and Monty said together, before laughing and racing off. Jack huffed before following Alfie towards Miss Jenny.  
"Hello there boys." She said, smiling warmly. "I received a phone call from the Small Controller: the ballast trucks were being silly this morning and their loads have spilled out. He wants some help clearing it away, so I said you two would come down."  
"Sounds alright." Alfie said.  
"I can also do for a bit of different scenery." Jack chuckled, and Miss Jenny beamed.  
"Well off you go then." And she waved them goodbye. The two friends turned around and raced off down the driveway as fast as possible.  
"Do you think that while we're out on the road, we should pop by Cedric's?" Jack asked.  
"NO!" Alfie boomed, and he raced ahead. He and Jack had been friends for a while, but if he heard one more mention of Cedric Berrob, Alfie would probably have to hit him.

It only took the two twenty minutes to reach Arlesdale, and Alfie screeched into the station a few metres behind Jack, who was panting after racing to keep up and chat.  
"Alfie, if we just passed by quickly, we co-" The front loader began.  
"Hello there." Alfie said loudly to cover Jack up. Bert, Mike and Frank were waiting there, and they all looked over. Rex and Jock were away taking their trains, while Mike was stuck behind his trucks, Frank was moving some non-damaged trucks away, and Bert was waiting with his passengers.  
"Thank goodness you're finally here!" Mike said, beaming with relief.  
"Donald had been entertaining us, but he had to go and take some trucks." Bert said. The guard began marshalling the waiting passengers into their coaches, as Frank pulled some undamaged trucks over.  
"How was he entertaining you?" Jack asked, scooping up the first of the ballast.  
"This tale from Scotland about a monster that lives in a lake." Bert explained.  
"It sounds really creepy." Mike added.  
"Huh!" Frank scoffed as he backed way. Everyone looked towards him, and Bert and Mike exchanged looks. Frank always thought he knew best, and would surely try and top Donald's story.

"I have heard a story about an ancient treasure, buried deep within these forests." The diesel said. Everyone rolled their eyes and ignored him, and Jack and Alfie just continued clearing the ballast. But Frank continued anyway.  
"An explorer from England came here back in the eighteenth century. A lot of this area of Sodor was unexplored, and this man wanted to be the one to do it." Frank explained. "He and his team travelled for many months around the North West of Sodor, walking over untamed fields, crawling through mines, swimming across rivers. And then, just as they finished, the explorer found something deep within a tunnel. It was treasure!"  
"How original." Mike whispered to Jack, who smirked. But the front loader and Alfie were now paying more attention to the story now: the Pack had of course found a tunnel as well.  
"There was so much treasure that the explorer and his team would be unable to carry it all. So, they only took half of it, and left the rest behind in its chest." Frank said, getting visibly excited. "The cartographer then copied the map roughly out, so that they would one day find it again. But one of the servants they used to carry their supplies became enraged about not getting any treasure. He stole the map and cut it into five pieces, and then freed the other slaves. They each took a piece of the map, and fled around the area. Eventually, they were all caught and killed, but the five pieces of the map remained scattered around the Island." Frank finished his story, and then gasped as he saw that Jack and Alfie had frozen, their jaws dropped and scoops hanging dumbly, tipping ballast over themselves.  
"You're making dust!" A workman said.  
"Sorry, the story was just interesting." Alfie said quickly.  
"Did anyone ever find the pieces of the map?" Jack asked.  
"How should I know?" Frank said roughly. "I just heard the legend, not the aftermath."  
"That's fine, just asking." Jack said, raising his scoop in defence. Jack and Alfie knew they couldn't talk freely around the Small Engines, so they quickly moved the ballast from the ground into the trucks, and got it down within five minutes.  
"That was quick." Mike said, grinning.  
"That's the Pack, we are nice and speedy." Alfie beamed. There was a chorus of whistles and goodbyes, and then Jack and Alfie rushed out of the yard as fast as possible.  
"Do you know what this means?" Jack said.  
"We could have found the bodies of the dead slaves, and their map pieces!" Alfie replied.  
"And if there is treasure, someone could have reburied it." Jack said. "And what is a good place to store a valuable treasure." Alfie was a bit confused, but then the pieces clicked into place and he gasped.  
"Do you mean… the safe?" Jack nodded, and the two raced off into the trees, desperate to get back to the hotel and find that safe.

Cedric Berrob could not contain his excitement.  
On the desk in front of him, the five pieces of the map of North West Sodor had been put together. The paper was yellow and dusty, and most of the original outlines drawn by Clarence Richards had faded. Cedric had spent a whole week redrawing the lines, and using the coordinates to determine the exact middle of the pentagon of murders done by Montgomery Norman. He had been very precise, but had found the exact location. Now, he was attempting to compare the two different maps together, and was certain he had found the right spot. Cedric compared the two map sections together, and double checked the points of the pentagons: the forest near Ulfstead, the tree near Elsbridge, the castle near Arlesdale, the mountain area near Duke's old line, and Anopha Quarry. Cedric also looked through all of the notes from his father's diary, papers he had found of Montgomery's, and even several police reports about the missing people and from when the bodies were found.  
"Have you found the right spot, sir?" A deep voice said from behind. Cedric glanced up briefly at the tall, muscly black man standing before him. Jeremiah was a bodyguard that Cedric had used when he had to do less than legal dealings. And not that Jacob was rotting in the ground, along with Montgomery and his cat, Cedric needed protection whilst he finished his plans.  
"I believe I have found the exact point, Jeremiah." Cedric said, smiling with joy. He held up the modern day map, which had a neatly drawn red pentagon on it, with a yellow dot in the middle.  
"So where is this place?" Jeremiah asked.  
"Where I have always thought it would have been." Cedric said, and pulled another map from the desk. It was a railway map for the Arlesdale Railway, and Cedric unfolded it to a section highlighted in yellow. Jeremiah grabbed it and examined it closely.  
"But this area is the site of your hotel!" He gasped.  
"I know." Cedric said. "I found the coordinates in my father's diary, which he must have written before Montgomery killed him. I had the hotel built there, in the hope of finding the treasure. But despite rumours from my spies, it has not been found."  
"The hotel opens today, how do you expect to find it now?" Jeremiah said. Cedric raised an eyebrow, surprised that Jeremiah hadn't worked it out.  
"Let's just say this: the grand opening is going to go off…" He begun, and then froze and moved in for dramatic effect, "_with a bang_." He whispered, and then began cackling with deranged laughter. Jeremiah caught on, and he boomed with laughter as well. Cedric then sat back down, and grabbed the phone from his desk and called his spies.  
He had to make sure the bomb was in the right place in order to make the most damage.

While everyone else was tidying up at the hotel site, Nelson had to sit and watch. He had been a bit secluded after coming back from the works. He kept having nightmares in which he was spun around rapidly, with Cedric, Jacob and the wooden shed flashing by. Then the ground disappeared and he fell into a car crusher, which would begin to suffocate him before he burst into flames. It was a terrible feeling when he woke up, shivering and shaking, and had twice felt like he was still on fire. But Nelson had decided that he knew how to stop these tortured dreams: he had to tell Miss Jenny about why he had really crashed into the shed. The Foreman had visited him, and said that Cedric had said that he had spun out of control due to an oily spot that they failed to avoid. Nelson knew that the businessman was only saying this to cover for himself, but he had to come clean. Isabella and Magenta were moving past, pulling trailers fill of rotting tree branches and bushes.  
"Hey," Nelson said, rolling out of the shadows, "have you seen Miss Jenny?"  
"AHH!" Magenta exclaimed, and swerved in shock, nearly hitting Isabella.  
"Silly!" Isabella chuckled. "And I think she is on the other side of the hotel."  
"Ok, thank you." Nelson said with a smile, and turned to the left and raced off. He moved past the platform, which was having seats arranged around a podium, swerved past Kelly, and raced along a stony path that had many plants, benches and friendly signs on either side. Miss Jenny's vibrant hair was visible at the end, and Nelson slowed down as he heard her shouting at Max and Monty at the distance. The crunch of the rocks gave him away, and Miss Jenny wheeled around.  
"Hello Nelson, what are you up to?" She said. There was a panting sound nearby, and Nelson looked down as Miss Jenny's black Labrador ran past.  
"I haven't seen him in ages." Nelson said, his mood lifting at the sight of the dog with a stick.  
"He's been spending time with my sister while I've been busy with the hotel." Miss Jenny explained. She scratched the dog's ears, and Nelson became distracted by this. But Miss Jenny looked back up at him and coughed.  
"Is there a reason your over here?" She said. Nelson looked back up at her, and exhaled in annoyance. He knew he had tot ell her, but didn't know the right words.  
"I want to tell you the real reason why I crashed." He said.  
"Oh really, and what was that?" Miss Jenny said.  
"He has been looking for the bodies." Nelson said. Miss Jenny gasped and went to interrupt, but Nelson had to keep going. "He was looking for a body at the quarry, and also for someone or something called an Alpha. Jacob wanted to hit them, but I heard Cedric load a gun, so I swerved around and hit the shed." He stopped talking, and felt like a weight was off his trailer for talking. Miss Jenny looked flabbergasted, and stood perfectly still in shock. Her dog barked and scratched at her, but Miss Jenny seemed to have blocked everything out.  
"That… that…" She began at last.  
"Yes?" Nelson said anxiously.  
"That… that is just ridiculous!" Miss Jenny said, and her shock turned dramatically into anger. "I have never heard anything as ridiculous in my entire life!" Nelson was so shocked that had began rolling backwards, half expecting to get hit.  
"But Miss, I swear that is true!" He protested. "I heard them say this, I risked my life to-"  
"ENOUGH!" Miss Jenny yelled, and her cry attracted the attention of passing workers and Buster. "I have been very stressed over the past few months, and it will all be over within a few hours. I will not have it ruined by claims of attempted murder and body snatching!"  
"But-"  
"Just go and find something to do!" Miss Jenny said, and she turned and marched off towards the front of the hotel. Nelson was horrified by this, but he realised that there would be no convincing her at the time being, and simply turned and rolled away.

A large pink skip was a few metres down the road from the hotel entrance, and it had become the dumping ground for all excess rubble, debris and foliage remains that had been strewn over the hotel grounds. Isabella and Magenta were making one of their last stops, and they would be glad to be rid of the irritable short shuttle runs.  
"It is a pretty nice view out here." Isabella said. There were many glorious trees, glowing in the early morning sunlight. Birds tweeted as they flew over head, and several rabbits hoped along the side of the road, hoping to catch some sunlight.  
"I know it is very beautiful, but I am sick of seeing it!" Magenta said. "I want some new scenery!"  
"Well, I heard that the nice, dusty, hot Anopha Quarry needs help repairing it's damages." Isabella teased.  
"Don't even joke!" Magenta scolded, and Isabella laughed. Just then, Kelly pulled up.  
"Hello ladies." He said. Several thin trees were tied together and hanging from his hook.  
"Why do you have that?" Isabella asked.  
"Several of the trees that got planted near the arcade got crushed by Ned." Kelly said, chuckling slightly. "We just found them, so I have been told to bring them." And he dropped them into the skip on top of the lorries loads.  
"Poor trees." Isabella said sadly.  
"Why did _you_ have to bring them?" Magenta said, smirking. "Why couldn't that wait for us?" Kelly merely shrugged, but he could see where she was going. "You know what I think!" She said dramatically.  
"What?" Isabella said.  
"I think that Kelly just wanted to follow us out here." Magenta said, grinning as she waited for Kelly's reaction.  
"I had a job to do." Kelly huffed, and struggled not to blush.  
"Stop being so silly Magenta." Isabella said, rolling her eyes.  
"Oh come on Isabella, tell me you haven't noticed he likes you!" Magenta said. Kelly gasped, but Isabella just laughed.  
"Oh come on, we are just old friends." She said. Magenta looked at Kelly, who was looking very close and backing away. "We are, aren't we?"  
"I don't think we are _that _close, just work friends." Kelly said, thinking of the first cover-up that came to his head. But it didn't seem to have the right effect: Isabella gasped, and then began blinking, fighting back tears.  
"I thought we knew each other better, but fine than!" She said. "See you later, work friend!" And Isabella raced off before Kelly could react. He fumed and looked angrily at Magenta.  
"Not my fault you won't accept it!" She said defensively, and quickly raced off after her cousin. Kelly turned and watched them leave.  
"Bloody women!" He roared, and chased after them to sort things out.

Just like most days, Patrick, Buster and Fredrick had ended up working together. They were working on clearing away the swimming pool area. Fredrick was sweeping away fallen leaves before they got in the pool, Patrick was quickly filling in cement where some cracked tiles were being replaced, and Buster was flattening the fake grass that was around the edges of the fence.  
"This is so boring!" Patrick sighed, as he finished filling up the square. Buster and Fredrick both sighed and exchanged looks, but Patrick continued ranting. "I wish that something interesting would happen, and-"  
"Buster, you _always _complain about not doing 'fun' stuff." Buster huffed. "And whenever we do try doing something exciting, we end up finding corpses or bombs or Atlantis." Patrick growled as Fredrick laughed.  
"But this is so boring!" The cement mixer moaned. "I hate doing these little jobs, I prefer doing big stuff like filling in roads or car parks."  
"That's great to know." Fredrick said irritably.  
"Well it's not like you two are doing anything interesting either!" Patrick said. "Sweeping leaves and smoothing fake grass is hardly enthralling, is it?" When Fredrick and Buster exchanged looks this time, it was because they knew Patrick had a point.  
"I'm right, aren't I?" He smirked with triumph. "So why don't we see if we can do something exciting!"  
"Such as?" Fredrick said.  
"I don't know… maybe there's another dead body out there, or we could go and spy on Cedric!"  
"We are wasting our time with Cedric." Fredrick sighed. "We keep getting outwitted, and we have no new information!" He froze there, as the Foreman was walking over.  
"What are you three gossiping about?" He chuckled.  
"Nothing." Buster said quickly.  
"I have had a call from Cedric that his driveway is damaged." The Foreman said. "Apparently a tree fell over. Can you guys go and move the tree and make a temporary driveway?"  
"Of course!" Patrick said happily, and he quickly moved off.  
"Eager beaver!" The Foreman laughed, but his cell phone rang, and he moved off to take it.  
"Looks like we have a chance for adventure after all." Buster said, and Fredrick merely smiled. The two began to head off, watching as Isabella and Magenta raced past, followed by Kelly.  
None of them knew that their biggest adventures yet were about to begin.

Thumper had enjoyed his work for the Pack, but he had to admit that they were a rather odd bunch. They all seemed to be connected to the bodies somehow, and someone always seemed to be going near the cave. Due to explosion at Anopha Quarry, it had temporarily shut down, and there had ended up being fewer rocks for all of the gardens. The rocks that had blocked the cave entrance, following the cave in, had been taken away and used to fill them in for when it opened. That meant that the cave was now open again, though a wooden board was across the front, with several barricades reinforcing it on either side.  
Today, Thumper was merely making a smoother job of one area that stuck out. As his pistons pounded into the rock, he heard the screech of tyres coming down the hill, and looked over as Isabella charged towards the cave.  
"Well, one of them had to break at some point." He sighed, and went back to working.  
Tears were streaming down Isabella's face, and she barely knew where she was going. She was just so hurt by what Kelly had said: after all the years working together, joking together, saving each other's lives and he was acting embarrassed by their friendship.  
"Stupid bloody crane, I'm better off without him!" She growled. She noticed as the ground became flat, but didn't notice where she was until her she smashed into the barricades.  
"AH!" Isabella yelled, as splintered wood flew everywhere. Magenta, who had been chasing after her cousin, screeched to a halt to avoid driving over a piece.  
"Isabella you silly girl!" She said. Isabella had smashed the first barricades and the main wood blocking, and was currently staring into the darkness with two barricades in front.  
"Help me." She whimpered. Magenta moved forwards, but then there heard a familiar honk.  
"Isabella, wait, let me explain!" Kelly yelled. Isabella gasped, before reeving her engine and charging forwards. More wood was snapped up like twigs, and the remaining barricades were blasted aside.  
"WAIT!" Magenta yelled, but Isabella had disappeared off into the cave. Magenta looked back around at Kelly, who was racing down the hill.  
"Moron!" She hissed, and raced into the cave after her cousin. Kelly came to a halt, centimetres away from the cave. The last time he had been in there, he had seriously injured himself: what if it happened again? What if something more serious happened to him?  
"No… I can't get scared… I must fix things with Isabella!" The crane said determinedly. He took a deep breath in, and then charged forwards, crunching over the wood and keeping his arm low. His left front wheel clunked over the safe, but Kelly ignored this, as his headlights flashed on, and he followed after the distant beam coming from Magenta's.  
Outside, Thumper merely rolled his eyes.  
"I really need a job that doesn't involve corpses or psychotic boulders." He thought, and drummed anyway at the rock.

It took a quarter of an hour for Fredrick, Patrick and Nelson carrying Buster to reach the cottage inhabited by Cedric. They could see the tree lying across half of the driveway, but the tarmac itself didn't look too severely damaged. There was no sign of life inside the house, though the hedges in the surrounding area looked oddly crumbled.  
"I don't want to be here." Nelson growled. "I can't be close to him after what he nearly did!"  
"You keep going on about 'what he nearly did', but you won't actually say!" Patrick growled. They all came to a stop, staring down towards the house.  
"I am not going to elaborate, you just need to know he is dodgy." Nelson said. There was an awkward silence, with many exchanging of looks.  
"I think I'll go and clear the tree." Fredrick said. He moved down the driveway, and quickly tried to look through the curtains before starting. Not a single thing moved behind them, so the aging digger merely shrugged and began to move his scoop under the tree.  
"We better move quickly, the opening ceremony is in two hours." Buster said.  
"It is quick drying concrete, don't worry." Patrick said with an annoyed sigh. He stared into the bushes, watching them rustle in the wind. Nelson began to position himself correctly, and Buster began to move backwards to get off the trailer. The transporter took up staring into the bush as well, and he and Patrick got lost inside the tangled green, watching the leaves dance, several butterflies flapping around, the swish of a black coat…  
"Did you see that?" Patrick gasped.  
"I did!" Nelson gasped, and the two tried to find the sign of the cloak again, but it had disappeared.  
"Maybe we should move forwards?" Nelson suggested.  
"Good idea!" Patrick said, and he raced forwards. Nelson tried to follow, but the change in speed caused Buster to roll backwards.  
"Um, Nelson…" Buster said, as he began to roll backwards quickly. "Could you, um, stop me?" Nelson looked around, wondering what was wrong. Suddenly, the winch cord snapped. Buster yelled out as he raced backwards. There was a slope down the drive, and the steamroller raced out of control.  
"HELP!" He yelled. Fredrick, who was slowly pushing the tree out of the way, stopped and turned to help. But Buster was out of control: he swerved to the left, than the right, than ploughed onto the grass. He crushed a flower bed before smashing into backwards into the house. Everyone gasped as the window smashed, the bricks were hit, and Buster rolled about two metres in, before being stopped by a sofa.  
"Oh my goodness!" Fredrick exclaimed, and he rushed over. Nelson and Patrick sped down the driveway as well, and Patrick rushed inside.  
"Crap… we are going to be in so much trouble!" He said, as he cautiously approached Buster. The steamroller was dazed by the crash, but was still conscious.  
"What are we going to do?" Fredrick said.  
"We can't pull him out, we have no rope and it was my winch that snapped." Nelson said, as he rolled forwards slightly. Everyone jumped as the garage door opened, and Fredrick had to move to allow a Chrysler 300C to pull out. Cedric was in the passenger seat, and a big black man was driving. The car had to go off-road slightly to avoid the tree, but than moved up to the top of the drive. It stopped there, and both Cedric and the black man got out.  
"Hello there machines." Cedric said brightly.  
"Where's Jacob?" Fredrick said, unable tot hink of anything else.  
"Oh, he's six feet under the backyard." Cedric said, and there was a collective gasp. The black man had pulled two small barrels of oil out, and one larger one. Everyone looked at him as he poured oil over the driveway, the tree, the grass and hedges. Than, he put a rope into the big barrel, and paused.  
"Good job Jeremiah." Cedric said. "Now, it has been in my best interests to get rid of you all long before now. However, it has been very tricky killing you wretched machines. But I needed there to be less of you at the opening today, so I when a tree fell onto my driveway last night, I couldn't be happier. Now, you will all be burnt to a crisp within a few minutes, which is just glorious, and I have a few less things to worry about." He explained.  
"You monster!" Nelson roared, but Cedric merely nodded.  
"Let's go Jeremiah, I have a plan to unleash." The black man nodded, and then kicked the barrel with one of his big shoes. Nelson and Fredrick crammed inside the house, and the barrel smashed into the front door. Than, Jeremiah threw a lit match, before getting in the car and driving off.  
"Bugger." All four of the Pack said, as the green garden turned into a flaming inferno, and it moved towards the barrel of oil only a few feet away.  
As Cedric drove off, another car engine started from behind the bushes. A certain spy, who was wearing a black coat for a change, rushed towards a black car, throwing his binoculars aside and pressing a button on his PDA. It sent out a signal to the local police, telling them to act now.  
"Aren't we going to save the Pack?" Canton said, as Alpha climbed into the front seat.  
"We don't have time!" Alpha said. "Oil is uncontrollable and nearly impossible to put out, and if we don't follow Cedric, there will be a higher death count."  
"I suppose that is fair." Canton said. Alpha merely nodded, before wheeling his ute around and speeding down a shortcut.  
It was essential that they beat Cedric to the hotel.

Things were much too quiet at the hotel.  
Oliver, Byron, Ned, Max and Monty all sat in the car park. A number of seats were being set up, and valets were directing early areas towards a temporary car park near the arcade. The special train would arrive at a new station behind the trees, and Cedric was expected to be here soon.  
"Where is everyone?" Oliver said.  
"The Foreman sent Buster and Nelson and Patrick and Fredrick away." Ned said.  
"I think they are doing a job, and Jack and Alfie did something for Miss Jenny." Byron said.  
"What about the lorries?" Max said.  
"And the crane!" Monty added.  
"They went to the skip, but goodness knows where they are now." Oliver said. The five sat in silence, looking around, wondering if the others would magically appear, when Jack and Alfie appeared at the entrance.  
"Ah, there you are!" Byron said. But the two sped past, not even glancing at the others, and headed towards the cave. Miss Jenny and The Foreman had been talking by the hotel entrance, and had seen them speed off.  
"What are they up to?" The Foreman said, rushing towards the other machines.  
"We aren't sure, but Kelly, Isabella and Magenta are missing as well." Oliver said. Miss Jenny was about to talk, but then a black and white car pulled up, and a familiar figure got out.  
"It's the detective!" Ned said.  
"Quite right." Detective Fisher said, and looked over at Miss Jenny. "Jenny, mind if I have a word?" Miss Jenny sighed and nodded, but quickly looked at Byron.  
"Go after those two, find out what is up." The bulldozer nodded, and rolled off down the path.  
"Shall we head inside?" Miss Jenny said irritably.  
"Gladly." Detective Fisher said, and the two walked towards the hotel. The Foreman watched them leave, before turning to the others.  
"I don't know what you should do, but I think you should at least do something!" He said.  
"Yes sir!" Oliver said, and he signalled for the others to follow, and they raced towards the trees to be out of the way. The Foreman merely sighed and strolled off for a drink.  
It was going to be a long day.

Jack and Alfie were out of breath from their race to get back, and had been slowed down due to traffic come in for the opening. But nothing stood in their way as they raced down the hill. But the sight of the destroyed wood caused them to stop.  
"Someone's been in there!" Alfie said in shock.  
"If the safe has been taken…." Jack said before trailing off, and the two exchanged looks.  
"Why do you all go towards that cave?" A voice said, and the two looked towards Thumper, who was still attacking the cliff.  
"Why, who else has been here?" Jack asked. Thumper never usually got to speak to anyone except himself, so was glad for the chat and kept talking.  
"Those two lorries, Isabella and Magenta, came here, and Isabella smashed the wood up. Than Kelly chased after them, and all three went into the cave." He explained. "I haven't seen them come back out."  
"Thanks Thumper." Alfie said, before whispering to Jack. "None of them could have dug up the safe. And Fredrick said it is close to the entrance, so we will only be a minute or two." Jack nodded, and he raced in, followed quickly by Alfie. Thumper watched them enter, and then heard as Byron roared down the hill, and charged towards the cave.  
"Jack, Alfie, Miss Jenny wants to know what your up to!" The bulldozer said. Jack and Alfie were visible due to their lights, but they couldn't leave until they had the safe. The two felt around with their scoops, and they soon felt it.  
"Come out NOW!" Byron boomed, as he edged into the cave. His scoop could just fit in, though he destroyed what remained of the barricades due to his mighty weight.  
"We'll be out in a second!" Jack snapped, as he dug his scoop into the ground, and felt the bottom of it.  
"What are you two even doing in here?" Byron growled, as he turned his headlights on. The front loader and excavator were blinded, but Byron could see that something was in the ground.  
"What is this?" He snapped.  
"Just go away Byron!" Alfie said, trying to make himself look bigger. Jack was groaning from the strain of the safe, but managed to lift it upwards.

"GOTCHA!" He said. Byron was curious and unimpressed at the same time, and began to back away.  
"Come on, let's just go then." He said.  
But his back was barely out of the cave before it happened.  
Thumper's work was causing more destruction to the already damaged mountain than he intended. His powerful pistons had caused huge cracks inside the mountain, and they could no longer hold. Rocks began to break away and roll down, sending dust everywhere and causing a deep roar. Thumper yelled out as he was battered backwards, and rocks began to batter Byron's cab. Than, a larger chunk fell onto his front.  
"Cave in!" Alfie said, and he turned and raced further into the cave. Byron had no chance of getting out, and he moved forwards, forcing Jack to move as well. The three raced deeper into the mines, as dust began to fill the air and the rock slide sounded more deadly from inside.  
"There are tyre tracks in the dust!" Alfie said, and swerved to follow them. Jack and Byron chased after, their tyres battering aside small rocks. They travelled like this for two minutes, before their headlights caught the green of Alfie, and they both stopped.  
"Look who I've found." Alfie said, and Kelly waved his hook at them.  
"Good to see you." Byron said roughly, before examining the area. They were at a crossroads: three tunnels joined inside a large area. There was the one they had come from, one to Kelly's left, and one further away.  
"I am trying to find Isabella and Magenta, have you seen them?" Kelly asked.  
"There aren't that many places inside these mines to hide." Jack smirked, and earned angry looks from the crane.  
"Shall we try looking for them, a way or out or go back and clear the rubble?" Byron suggested. But there were two high pitched screams, and Magenta raced out from the tunnel near Kelly, followed by Isabella and a cloud of dust.  
"I found them." Jack said, taking a light stab at humour.  
"Hello there boys." Magenta said. "Throwing us a surprise party?" But then she looked at Kelly, and her smile faded. Isabella blinked dust out, and saw him as well, but looked away before he could speak.  
"I think we have to move onwards." Alfie said, pointing towards the only free tunnel left.  
"That way just caved in." Isabella said. "If you couldn't tell."  
"Then that leaves one option!" Jack said proudly, and he headed towards the free tunnel. As he moved forwards, everyone's headlights caught the safe in his scoop.  
"What's that?" Kelly asked.  
"A safe, moron!" Magenta snapped.  
"Let's not question the safe, let's just try and find a way out." Jack said. "There has to be another exit." The others all nodded, and started to follow him.  
"Besides, not like anything worse can happen." Byron smirked. They all chuckled as they headed single file (Jack, Isabella, Alfie, Magenta, Kelly and then Byron) up the tunnel.

Many metres above their heads, the lake of Corloey stood. It had already been damaged due to previous cave ins, and had slowly been leaking into the mines. But the landslide had upset the entire mountain, and the lakes unstable bottom began to crack. The earth shifted, rocks tumbled, and then a third of the lake floor collapsed, disappearing into the mines before being blasted by the water. The water was gushing in, forming a torrent that destroyed more of the lake floor. And it all began to pour through the mines, heading downwards, ruining everything it touched.  
And it would soon destroy the Pack.


	15. The Operations Ending: The Final

**The Operation's Ending: The Final**

Even though Miss Jenny hated being near Detective Fisher, she couldn't help but marvel at the beauty of the lobby.  
A polished wooden desk covered a third of the right wall, the glass frame behind it covered so no one could see the name. The floor had blue and red chequered tiles, the wallpaper was a light, nature-like brown, and a huge glass chandelier hung from the ceiling. Pot plants and soft leather couches were scattered around here and there, and three shining silver elevator doors were at the opposite ends, with two corridors on either side stretching off towards other rooms. The place looked amazing, with only a few things being sorted out by some workers: placing a glass table, sorting out the electrical equipment on the reception desk and cleaning up the dust and dirt. Miss Jenny admired her creation, and then turned to face the detective.  
"So, what do you want to-" She began, but Detective Fisher kept walking, beckoning her to follow. Miss Jenny let out a low growl and marched forwards, trying to keep up with him. The two walked down one of the corridors, Miss Jenny getting very annoyed, when Detective Fisher suddenly walked into a bathroom.  
"Fisher, I don't really have the time or want to see you go to the toilet, so if that's why I was dragged here, then I'm leaving!" Miss Jenny snapped.  
"I am not using the toilet, mainly because I can't." Detective Fisher hissed. "One of my men working undercover has made a startling discovery." Miss Jenny gasped, mainly at the thought of undercover police inside her operation. She unwillingly walked into the bathroom, which was a public men's one. It had a dozen toilets hidden behind black painted stalls, and a row of sinks, soap dispensers, and hand dryers.  
"So, what is so startling in here?" Miss Jenny asked wearily. Detective Fisher opened up one of the stalls and walked up to the bathroom. Then, he slipped a crowbar out of his jacket. Before Miss Jenny could stop him, the policeman smashed the metal bar into the white tiled wall.  
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Miss Jenny screamed.  
"Showing you how dodgy Cedric Berrob is!" Fisher replied, and pulled away a section of the wall. Miss jenny was appalled, but then she noticed something: the wall was breaking away a little too easily. Once the Detective had made a big enough hole, he stood back and pointed into it. Miss Jenny walked forwards and stared in.  
Absolutely nothing was inside.  
There was just a very thin gap between the interior and exterior wall. There were no pipes, no wiring, no insulation, no nothing.  
"H-h-h-how is this possible?" Miss Jenny stuttered.  
"My spies discovered that there was no plumbing going into this building, or much else for that matter." Detective Fisher explained. "There is very little furniture, except for about a dozen rooms, half the lights don't work, and most of the power relies on a small generator inside a car." Miss Jenny couldn't believe this, and she collapsed onto the closed toilet lid.  
"How, how did I let this happen?" She said, tears beginning to form. "This was meant to be my big break, but now that is ruined!"  
"If it your fault, Miss Packard." Fisher said, though he didn't sound very sorry. "But it is crucial we evacuate the area before-" But a long boom interrupted the detective's words, and Miss Jenny gasped as she was splattered with something. She looked up as Detective Fisher collapsed to the ground, dead, with a bullet hole in his heart. Miss Jenny screamed, and looked towards the murderer, but something hit her in the arm, and she instantly found darkness.  
Cedric Berrob stared down with disgust at Fisher's corpse, but had to reach over in order to grab Miss Jenny. After all this planning, he wasn't going to let someone ruin his plans. He pulled a phone out and dialled speed dial 1.  
"Jeremiah, I have a mess for you to clean up." Cedric said quietly. "Leave the bomb for now, I need the policeman's body disposed off. Then you can take Miss Packard and the bomb to the dining hall, and I'll see you on stage." And with one last glance at Fisher and Miss Jenny, Cedric turned and walked out of the bathroom, needing to prepare for the big end of his plan.

The mines were cold, dark, long, winding, low roofed, bumpy, rocky, dusty, and it completely failed Isabella and Magenta's views.  
"Are we nearly out of this hovel?" Magenta sighed.  
"I don't like the dirt, the dust, or the company, to be frank." Isabella added, and stared pointedly at Kelly. The crane glared back, but it only enraged the lorry more, and he realised he shouldn't have.  
"Will you two stop complaining?" Byron growled from the back. "None of us are enjoying it, but we aren't harping on about it!" Isabella and Magenta wanted to reply, but Alfie turned to face them.  
"Just leave it and focus on getting out!" He puffed. They had been travelling for half an hour, and they were all getting tired. They had gone up hills, gone down inclines, turned around from dead ends, nearly hit two cave-ins. Everyone's axles ached, both Jack and Magenta had damaged their headlights, Byron's was dying, and Alfie had scraped his scoop on a roof, breaking it. All in all, everyone would be glad to get out, though it seemed unlikely.  
"We can't lose hope guys, I am sure we'll find a way out!" Jack said with false glee.  
"Oh yeah, and how will that happen exactly?" Isabella snapped. Jack had just tried to raise some enthusiasm, but he hadn't thought he would actually have to have an idea.  
"Umm… why don't we try and head upwards?" The front loader gestured upwards with his scoop, making the safe clang. "There has to be a miners exit above, in case there was a cave-in." He looked eagerly at the others, who exchanged looks.  
"Plausible enough idea." Byron replied, which Jack took as a yes. He needed to get out of here and destroy the safe and its treasure, but he couldn't if everyone was mopping around inside the mines. Up ahead was another fork, with the right heading up, the left heading down, and the middle heading forwards. Jack turned towards the right, grinning broadly.  
"Come on guys, the faster we go, the faster we'll be free!" And he raced to the left. Alfie followed after, and Isabella and Magenta decided to have a bit of fun. Kelly moved cautiously after, and Byron just sighed.  
"They shouldn't go too fast!" He said.  
"What's the worst that could happen?" Kelly chuckled, and the two rounded the corner. They both froze when they realised the others had as well.  
"Can you hear that?" Alfie whispered. There was silence, and they all listened to a rushing sound coming from above them.  
"It sounds almost like… a wave." Magenta said quietly. The sound was getting louder and louder, and whatever was causing it was getting closer and closer. Everyone with working lights focused them up ahead. And then, fifteen metres in the distance, water appeared. It was pouring in, as if some giant tap in the mine had been turned on. There must have been over a hundred litres, and more were approaching.  
"MOVE OUT!" Byron boomed, and he sped down the middle tunnel. The others didn't need telling twice, and they all turned and raced towards it. Kelly went first, and the others barely got in before the wave rushed past, spraying them as it thundered past.  
"Keep moving, it could soon flood this tunnel!" Kelly yelled, and the six began to move down. However, this path was a dead end, and they soon came to the end, with Byron squished up against the wall.  
"I can see the water, it appears to be damaging the walls!" Jack said, squinting to make out the water.  
"These are old mines: too much water damage on the wooden posts will destroy them." Alfie said sadly. Isabella and Magenta began to moan loudly, Jack and Alfie exchanged worried looks and Kelly began to mumble. Byron couldn't stand to see his friends like this, and he focused upon the wall, trying to think of a solution. He thought back to his horrible experience in a mine a few months ago, and couldn't let his friends suffer that as well. But the more he stared at the wall, a plan began to form. Then, he drove straight into it.  
"What are you doing?" Magenta shrieked. "You'll cause a cave-in!"  
"That's a possibility." Byron grunted, before smashing into the rock wall again, causing large cracks. "But I must give this a go!" And rammed into it once more.  
"Would you at least explain this madness?" Kelly asked, cautioning not to stay too close to Isabella.  
"I smash through the wall. We drive down the mountainside before the wood breaks on us." Byron explained, and continued to hit the wall. The others moved towards him, unsure what to make of this. But behind them, there was a very loud, very obvious crack: something wooden had broken. Alfie raced forwards, whacking his broken scoop and arm onto the rock. Kelly prodded it with his crane arm, and Byron gave it another hard knock, causing a hole to appear. Jack, Isabella and Magenta eagerly came up behind, as there was another loud crack, and the sound of dust trickling echoed over the roaring water. Byron reversed backwards, and then charged full speed at the wall. Sunlight poured into the tunnel, nearly blinding them all, but they all cheered instead. They had found freedom, even if they had no clue what was in front of them. Behind them, there was a rumble, and more dust fell, bringing rocks with it.  
"CHARGE!" Isabella screamed, and moved forwards. The six of them simply gulped and drove forwards, wondering if they would hit land or oblivion…

A deadly inferno was raging at Cedric Berrob's cottage.  
The fuel cans that had exploded had taken the front of the house with it. Roof tiles, wood and glass were scattered around, and huge chunks of the wall had fallen. The flaming fuel patches were sending orange flames into the sky, and smoke was reaching even higher. The interior of the house was exposed, meaning it would soon be consumed by flames. And the Pack members could only watch as their deaths came closer.  
The explosion has blasted Fredrick's right scoop arm, sent Nelson' trailer and Patrick's mixer flying and blasted Buster's cab roof off. There were holes in Buster's tyres, and some a roof section that had caved in blocked the others from moving to the back of the house. All they could see was a red and orange haze that engulfed them; entering their exhausts and making them cough violently.  
"Looks like this could be the end boys." Fredrick choked. And he was right: there was no possible way they would get out. The cottage had become their coffin.  
"I just wish we could have left in a more dignified fashion." Nelson said sadly, before breaking into a coughing fit.  
"And we never worked out what was in that bloody safe!" Patrick hissed.  
"Now isn't the time for regrets!" Buster scolded. "We should reflect on some of the fond memories we had together."  
"Where should we start: the time you found the body, or how Fredrick nearly got scrapped by George?" Patrick snapped bitterly, and Buster gave up hope. Fredrick eyed the flames nearing them with caution. The carpet was catching a blaze, and sparks were flying towards the bookcase, the coffee table, and a desk, which was scattered with papers.  
"Those are Cedric's notes!" Fredrick gasped, and he moved slowly across the carpet. The desk had tons of paper on it, and the digger whacked a leg, causing the desk to collapse and land in his scoop. His other arm thankfully held, though it wouldn't for long.  
"Just give it up, it won't do us any good now." Patrick grunted, but Fredrick stared at the papers, as if hoping for some sort of answer. But the flames were getting closer, the smoke getting thicker. Everyone was coughing worse and worse, and it seemed like they had reached the end.  
"Goodbye everyone!" Fredrick spluttered.  
"It was a pleasure working with you all!" Buster said sadly. Everyone shut their eyes, waiting for their death to come.  
But it didn't.  
Over the roar of the fire, the four machines could hear noises: more vehicles above them, having a debate. Nelson looked up, and saw that some of the fire was stopping, and a lot of smoke was going away.  
"Someone's saving us!" The transporter yelled. They all exchanged ecstatic looks, and watched as more of the fire was consumed. Brown particles flew into the air, and they could all tell it was sand.  
"WE'RE DOWN HERE!" Patrick yelled. "THE FIRE IS NEAR US!"  
"Oh shut it, we know that already!" Suddenly, the glee was sucked out. The machines all recognised the voice, and they weren't happy about it.  
It was George.  
A few seconds later, more sand was dumped a few metres away, and the fire that disappeared reveal Grudge, pouring sand out from a trailer George was pushing. The two were staring at the two, not paying any attention to the fire they were covering.  
"Why, why are you saving us?" Buster asked. George merely grunted, and watched as Grudge put out more flames.  
"We've been re-evaluating things since Mac died." The steamroller replied, and briefly glanced at Nelson. "If we hadn't been focused upon killing you lot, he may have still been alive. We went for a short stroll, wondering about coming to the opening to apologise to you guys. But then we saw what was happening, and we raced away to find some sand."  
"And we did!" Grudge said happily, and scattered more sand. There was now a clear path for the Pack to flee, which they quickly took. The sand was covering the majority of the oily flames. Now that they were safe, George and Grudge moved up the hill.  
"Thank you for saving us." Fredrick said happily. His moustache was black with as, but he didn't care.  
"Sorry for trying to scrap you." Grudge said apologetically, and George nodded.  
"That doesn't matter now boy, we have to get to that opening!" Fredrick boomed.  
"Why, what's happening?" George asked, looking curious.  
"Cedric is possibly going to kill everyone over a safe." Patrick replied. Though his tyres were damaged, he was determined to get there. The others thanked the SBI machines, and they apologised for their nature.  
"This'll do for now, let's just get to that hotel!" Buster shouted, and they all cheered, and began to move as quickly as possible towards the hotel they could see in the distance.

Oliver, Ned, Max and Monty stared suspiciously from the bushes towards the platform. Cedric was standing there, talking to some officials that had arrived early. There was a lot of laughing going on, before Cedric directed his friends into seats.  
"I don't like this." Oliver whispered. "Miss Jenny went into the hotel before him, and he came out before she did." He looked around, as if checking for spies, before continuing. "Something dodgy is definitely going on!"  
"We still haven't found the others." Ned said sadly.  
"I am sure they will turn up, soon." Oliver said, though he was very doubtful about it. They all looked back towards Cedric, who was continuing to chat up his guests. Oliver sighed sadly, and the others stared at him.  
"I am worried." He said. "I am worried something bad is going to happen, but I am not sure what."  
"We know." The machines all yelled, and stared in shock towards the ute in front of them.  
"Who are you?" Max grunted.  
"What do you want?" Monty added. Canton simply smiled at them, and his driver's door opened, and Alpha leapt out.  
"My name is Alpha, and this is my ute Canton." The spy explained. "We have been investigating Cedric Berrob for several months, and our conclusions have been grim."  
"What do you mean by that?" Oliver asked. "He's got some hidden agenda, or is going to do something or steal or-"  
"He has been getting you to build this hotel for more than one reason, yes." Alpha replied. "And yes, he does have a big finale planned know that its purpose has been fulfilled."  
"How big is big?" Ned asked.  
"Explosive big." Canton said brightly, and Alpha whacked him on the bonnet for his rudeness. But the others didn't notice as they all gasped.

"Bastard!" Monty snapped.  
"I will run him over and crush his bones!" Max hissed. They both went to move, but Oliver extended an arm.  
"You can't: guests!" He said, and signalled towards the gates. Sure enough, a flood of Mercedes, Rolls Royce, Porchse and Chryslers were beginning to roll into up the driveway. Each one stopped by the front entrance, like at normal hotels, and one of four bellboys rushed over, opened the door, and escorted the guests out. Already, the machines recognised The Fat Controller, Lady Hatt, The Small and Thin Controllers, several building executives they had met, and a long black limousine that the Mayor was in.  
"Despicable." Alpha spat. "All these innocent people will die, simply for Cedric's gain." He looked seriously at the machines. "I need you all to be ready when disaster is imminent, as I'll need you to help usher everyone away."  
"What about our friends?" Oliver asked.  
"They might get hurt as well." Ned said.  
"We know were your friends are." Canton answered quickly. "Some tracking devices we planted are showing they are all on the way, and on the way here." Oliver was shocked at the mention of tracking devices, though he wasn't really surprised after thinking about it.  
"Once the speech begins, spread out." Alpha said, getting back inside Canton. "We have to go and rendezvous." They watched as Alpha and Canton turned and drive further through the trees. Ned, Max and Monty looked at Oliver, and the excavator was uncertain about being turned to.  
"First of all, we need to find out exactly how close the others are." He said after thinking. "Any ideas?"

For one whole second, Jack was able to stare at the view in front of him: the expansive forest, with it's trees reaching up towards the sky. Birds flew overhead, coming in from the town that Jack could see in the distance. The hotel was rising up above the trees, and Jack could imagine being there very soon. The sky was blue with perfect, fluffy clouds, and everything seemed to be perfect.  
Then Jack realised there was no ground below him.  
The front loader screamed as he fell forwards, and he shut his eyes as he expected to roll. But his tyres smashed into rock, and Jack began to roll quickly down the hill. He opened his eyes cautiously, and realised he was rolling down the mountainside. It was at a 45 degree angle, and he and the others were speeding down the rocky cliffs. Boulders, ledges and bushes blurred past, and Jack tipped his scoop upwards, making sure to hold onto the safe. He heard Isabella and Magenta screaming, saw a smoother path caused by Byron's blade, and saw Kelly's arm extend unexpectedly from the speed. But Jack was enjoying it: the wind whistling past him, every bump making him jolt, and the rush of euphoria from the excitement of it.

"WOOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOO!" He yelled, and honked his horn happily. Jack willingly sped up, moving past Isabella and Magenta, who had shut their eyes.  
"AREN'T YOU LOVING THIS?" Jack yelled to Alfie. Alfie looked petrified, and his friend a look that practically said 'Are you crazy?' Jack just laughed, but then he realised how fast they were going. They were reaching the end of the mountain, as they hadn't fallen from a high point, and the dark green leaves of some trees were getting closer, and the mountain was getting steeper.  
"WE'RE REACHING THE END!" Byron boomed back to them. Twenty metres in front of him the mountain went from 45 to 90 degrees.  
"BRAKE!" Kelly yelled, but it wouldn't do anything. Byron flew off the cliff, and they watched in horror as he crushed the tree in front of him. Jack could now see a bright green field in front of them, and several sand pits: they were at the golf course. But his thoughts were interrupted as Kelly flew off, and Jack realised he was next.  
"AAAHHH!" He screamed, and shut his eyes as the ground disappeared. Jack soared through the sky for a few seconds, before falling forwards. He opened his eyes to watch himself crash into the branches of the tree Byron had hit. Jack came to an abrupt stop, and looked around at the others. Byron's blade arms were damaged, and he rested onto the tree trunk. Kelly had dived into a natural dip, and was bended uncomfortable. Alfie landed near Jack, but whacked into another tree. Isabella and Magenta followed after, screaming their cabs off as they landed onto the footpath, skidding around and hitting each other, causing them to halt. Jack moved forwards, crunching the branches.  
"We have to get to the hotel, pronto!" He exclaimed. "The opening is happening soon, and if we don't get there, Cedric could get away with whatever he has planned!"  
"Jack, calm down!" Byron snapped.  
"You've become too preoccupied with Cedric, we don't even know if he is acting dodgy!" Kelly said calmly. He managed to move up, and used his hook to pull Byron off the tree trunk.  
"The Pack is more important that Cedric's plans!" Isabella scolded. Jack realised that they were making him guilty, but he didn't have time to worry. He stared at the faces of the other five machines and sighed.  
"I know I have been acting a bit selfish, but I have been thinking about the Pack's best interests." Jack explained. "There is something Cedric wants from this safe, and we have a chance to end it! So, are you guys with me?" The others exchanged looks, some curious, some concerned. But after a minute, they all nodded. Jack beamed with pride.  
"Let's go save the day then!" He yelled, and sped off towards the hotel. The others simply sighed and worriedly unenthusiastically after.

Within ten minutes, all of the guests had arrived to the opening. Fold out seats had been placed in six rows in the car park, though most people were socialising and grabbing food from a buffet table. There were some seats up on the stage now as well: Miss Jenny, the Foreman, Cedric, The Fat and Small Controllers and the Mayor of Sodor would all be sitting there. But there was still no sign of Miss Jenny amongst the crowd, her fiery red hair always making her stand out. And Detective Fisher hadn't come out yet either, his car still parked nearby.  
"I wish that Alpha had told us everything!" Oliver snapped to Ned, Max and Monty, as they peered through the trees. "Miss Jenny is probably locked up in a basement or something!"  
"If she was locked in the basement, why don't we just drive down?" Ned said, and he pointed with his scoop towards the hotel. Oliver looked, and saw the ramp heading down to the underground car park.  
"I suppose we could go down there." Oliver said. "Good job Ned!" And the steam shovel beamed proudly. The four began to move, but suddenly The Fat Controller and Lady Hatt walked in front of them.  
"Oh, hello Sir." Oliver said quickly.  
"Hello Oliver. We were wondering where Miss Jenny is." The Fat Controller explained. "We wanted to congratulate her on this marvellous hotel." Oliver and Ned exchanged looks.  
"We can't find her!" Monty boomed.  
"We think that Cedric ti-" Max began, but Oliver rammed into him, shutting him up. The Fat Controller and Lady Hatt looked nervously at each other.  
"Is there something you aren't telling me?" The Fat Controller asked.

"Of course not Sir, we don't know where she is!" Oliver insisted.  
"Can you at least say where the other machines are?" The Fat Controller questioned, peering behind them as if expecting the others to appear.  
"Um… I think they, um, did…" Oliver trailed off, unable to come up with a plausible lie. The Fat Controller was about to ask another question, but suddenly Lady Hatt wailed.  
"There's some of them!" She exclaimed, and pointed towards the driveway. The machines and The Fat Controller stared and gasped.  
Four ashen members of the Pack were coming up the driveway: Buster, Nelson, Fredrick and Patrick, all looking like they had just come out of an oven. They were beaten and damaged, but looks of determination were on their faces. But what was more surprising was the fact that George and Grudge were alongside, looking a bit awkward about being on enemy territory.  
"HELLO!" Patrick yelled when he saw the others, and lead the others in racing forwards. Members of the crowd stopped talking and stared. Some began to whisper about the states they were in, but the machines ignored them as they stopped by their friends.  
"Where have you guys been, what happened, and why are they here?" Oliver blabbered. Max and Monty glared at George and Grudge, but they ignored them.  
"Let's just say, things sort of heated up for us." Fredrick whispered. The Fat Controller stepped forwards, looking very annoyed.  
"I may not own you, but something very serious has happened and I'd like to know what it was!"  
"I can deal with this." Everyone looked as The Foreman rushed over, wearing a navy blue suit, followed by Cedric and his black bodyguard Jeremiah, both of whom looked very surprised.  
"Sir, we'd gladly explain things once Miss Jenny is here." Buster said quickly before The Foreman could talk.  
"Any ideas where she might be, Cedric?" Oliver asked with a touch of venom. Cedric looked stunned, but his eyes narrowed as he stared at all of the machines.  
"I saw her and Detective Fisher inside the hotel a little while ago." He replied. All the machines stared at Cedric, and Cedric stared at them, leaving the other humans thoroughly confused.  
"Oliver, can you please expl-" The Foreman began, but there was suddenly a loud honk, and everyone turned once again.  
Jack, Alfie, Isabella, Magenta, Kelly and Byron were moving quickly towards them. Jack had his scoop raised high, keeping the safe out of sight.  
"Hello everyone, are we in time for the show?" Jack asked, beaming brightly.  
"And where have you lot been?" The Foreman asked, stepping in front of Oliver before he could speak.  
"We just went for a little drive." Alfie said quickly, and the six of them smiled. The Foreman was going red in the face, but The Fat Controller tapped him on the shoulder.  
"Everyone is staring, maybe you start the opening." He whispered, and pointed at the crowd. The Foreman, Cedric and the Pack all looked over, and saw nearly a hundred pairs of eyes staring curiously at them.  
"Brilliant idea!" Cedric boomed, and he grabbed the Foreman's arm and led him towards the stage. The audience was puzzled, but they began to applaud, and turned towards the stage as the important men rushed towards the wooden platform. However, the Pack turned to each other and began to bombard each other with questions.  
"Where were you?"  
"What happened?"  
"How did you get injured?"  
"Why are they here?"  
"Did you discover something?"  
"Where's Miss Jenny?" After everyone had a good scream of questions, they managed to get under control, and they began to talk normally. Kelly and Byron explained what happened in the mine, Fredrick explained what happened at the house, and Oliver explained what had been happening there.  
"None of this is making any sense!" Jack groaned.  
"Maybe we could try and read some of these papers I found?" Fredrick suggested, an everyone looked into the scoop.  
"And how are we meant to turn he pages?" Monty snarled bitterly.  
"Some of us have scoops, moron!" Alfie snapped.  
"Don't start arguing!" Buster warned.  
"Do you think the dead bodies have anything to do with this?" Isabella asked.  
"What have they go to do with a safe?" Byron scoffed.  
"Quiet!" Everyone jumped and turned. Canton had suddenly appeared, and was smirking slightly.  
"Ah, you all looked stupid." He chuckled.  
"What do you want?" Jack asked.  
"While Alpha goes and loads his guns, I figured I would tell you what is going to happen and why." Canton explained. There was a murmur of talk behind them as the guests seated, but Canton double checked no one was nearby and listening. "If anyone interrupts me, I swear I'll machine gun you to pieces." Everyone's eyes bulged, and Canton laughed again, before taking a deep breath.  
"Many years ago, a group of explorers went to the Mid Sodor Railway, searching for some treasure. After several days, the group eventually found the money. However, one of them had a secret motive. Montgomery Norman was the leader, and he didn't plan on handing the treasure over: he was going to split it up amongst them. One of the men, Caleb Carter, thought it would have been better to take it to the museum. Montgomery promptly shot him, and the rest of the team fled with their shares.  
Over the years, the seven remaining men led pretty normal lives. Some married, some had children, some became very successful. However, they only spent their funds sparsely, as they did not want to draw attention to themselves. But Montgomery had been left by his wife while they were on the trip, and he became bitter and lonely. He turned to gambling and drinking, and blew his entire share within a few decades, even though there had been millions of dollars there. Montgomery was desperate for cash, and saw a picture of Clarence Richards, the group's cartographer, in the paper for some work he had done at the museum. Montgomery went to his house, knocked on the door, and shot his friend through the heart, stealing his share of the profits." Isabella and Magenta looked very distraught, and the others exchanged concerned looks as well. But the opening was a minute away from starting, so Canton had to hurry.  
"Over the next two years, Montgomery went around, killing the other men and stealing their shares: Vernon Green, Albert Freeman, William Baker and Robert Rutherford. The police were unable to make the connection, but the only remaining man was able to work out what it meant: Nathanial Berrob." The machines all gasped.  
"Do you mean… Cedric's father?" Alfie whispered. Canton nodded, and the machines all gasped again.  
"Nathanial knew Montgomery would come for him next. He brought a metal safe, and told his wife, Amber, and Cedric to go out for a drive. As Nathanial put the money into the safe, Montgomery arrived. He fired several shots, but he was drunk, and only one bullet him Nathanial in the femoral artery. With the gun empty, Montgomery simply grabbed the safe and ran. But he knew Nathanial could call the police, and Montgomery couldn't bear going to jail. The murders had made him unstable, and he did something very stupid: he dug up the bodies of his victims."  
"Five bodies…" Jack whispered, his voice trailing off.  
"Just like the five we found!" Kelly gasped.  
"Exactly: you guys have found the bodies of all of Montgomery's victims." Canton said solemnly. "Montgomery dug up the bodies, and he then cut up their map of Mid Sodor from all those years ago. He scattered the bodies and the maps in five places around the Mid Sodor area, taking him around three days to do so. He wanted to be able to find the place where he buried the safe again, once the time was right. During that time, Nathanial was in hospital trying to stay alive after massive blood loss. Montgomery didn't know: he was too busy digging a very steep hole, right over there." And Canton inclined towards the hotel. Fredrick, Buster and Patrick exchanged shocked looks, and then everyone looked at Jack.  
"The safe you have, is it the same one?" Byron asked. Jack lowered his scoop, and Canton stared at it with wide eyes.  
"Yes, it is the same one owned by Nathanial Berrob." The ute said. "So while Montgomery buried and hid all the evidence, Nathanial was dying. He confessed what he had done to Cedric, and asked him to find the safe, find the treasure, and kill Montgomery."  
"So that is why Cedric's got us to do this: he wanted us to find the safe for him!" Buster gasped.  
"Precisely! But once Byron found the first body and there was no sign of the safe," Canton stared at Jack. "Cedric became more interested in finding the corpses of his father's friends, and had a general idea where they were."  
"The forest near Ulfstead" Byron whispered.  
"The tree along the River Callan." Magenta said, remembering.  
"The trenches by the castle." Alfie recounted.  
"Along the route of Mid Sodor." Patrick said quietly.  
"And at Anopha Quarry!" Nelson gasped.  
"Cedric had to find those fives bodies and the maps to make sure the safe was in the right place." Canton explained. "He tracked down Montgomery and killed him, and it was his house where some of you nearly became molten metal. And Cedric knows that the safe should be directly below the hotel."  
"How is going to get it know that people are staying here?" George asked. Canton's eyes twinkled and he smirked slightly.  
"Oh, no one is going to be staying here. Cedric is blowing up the hotel in fifteen minutes."

"Good morning everybody, and welcome to the grand opening of this stupendous hotel!" The Foreman was saying, talking into a microphone. The crowd applauded, and several newspaper cameras flashed in his direction. "My name is Mr Bowler, and I have been working on this project, alongside Miss Jenny Packard and her machines, since day one, and all of us are excited to finally see the completed project!" The crowd applauded again, and Mr Bowler began to introduce everyone on the stage behind him. As he said each name, the Foreman stared around the car park. For some reason, a number of the machines were stationing themselves around. He was hoping the just wanted a better view, but he highly doubted it. Also, George and Grudge were there for some reason, while Jack, Alfie, Isabella and Kelly weren't. But the Foreman had to keep going, and decided he would find out what the Pack was up to later.  
The machines were feeling very tense. None of them had quite gotten over the shock that they could be dead within fifteen minutes, but Canton had told them how to solve things. The bomb would be planted inside the dining hall, which was going to be the first place Cedric took the guests to. All they had to do was take the bomb to Canton, where Alpha would detonate it. Canton didn't have anything to pick it up with, and Alpha was preparing to assaniate Cedric and stop him from detonating it. This meant that Jack and Alfie had to do it.  
"Do you know the way to the dining hall?" Kelly asked, as he, Jack, Alfie and Isabella stared through the glass doors. The workers had finished tidying up, and the hotel looked picture perfect. It seemed a shame to suddenly destroy it before anyone else could enjoy it.  
"I am pretty sure. Isn't it down the right corridor?" Jack replied. He and Alfie were shaking slightly. The safe was resting on Isabella's bed, and she promised to guard it even if they were all blown up.  
"We better go in, Cedric will be doing his speech soon." Alfie said. Jack nodded, and the two friends stared at each other for a few minutes, thinking of what to say. But then Kelly nudged them forwards, and the two passed through the glass doors. They parted, and the machines found themselves inside the lonely lobby.  
"I've never been inside a building we weren't going to knock down before." Jack whispered.  
"And it looks like Cedric's going to knock this one down for us." Alfie added. Jack looked at him and laughed awkwardly. Alfie looked at his friend, and the two of them began to laugh. There was a honk of horn, and they sensed Isabella glaring at them, so the two carried on.

Taking a right turn, the two went down the opposite hall, which lead directly towards the dining hall. The corridor wasn't designed for two machines to pass through, so Jack went first, with Alfie coming up behind. At the end of the corridor, a set of brown double doors led into the hall. Both machines came to a halt and stared at them, unsure what they would see on the other side.  
"You first." Alfie said sheepishly. Jack took a deep breath, shut his eyes, and then ploughed through the doors.  
The dining hall was empty. It had the same carpet and wall colour scheme as the rest of the hotel, and there were doors leading to kitchens, the bathrooms, a bar area with nothing on the shelves, and French windows facing a beautiful view of the forest scenery. However, there were no tables or chairs there, and only one person: Miss Jenny.  
And she was lying over the bomb.  
"Oh my god!" Jack cried, and he raced towards her. Alfie followed behind cautiously, but when he saw his owner's limp body, he sped forwards as well. The two stood on opposite sides of the bomb, and looked at the red numbers counting down on the screen: 00:09:37  
"We have less than ten minutes to dispose of the bomb!" Alfie cried.  
"I know that, no need to shout!" Jack snapped back.  
"It's a very tense situation, pardon me for worrying for our lives!" Alfie shouted.  
"Well excuse me for not liking being shouted at!" Jack roared.  
"Why are we shouting at each other, shouldn't we just get out of here?" Alfie replied, his tones still loud. Jack nodded, and he moved closer to the bomb. Alfie's eyes bulged with shock and tension, but Jack was very careful. He edged his scoop forwards, and slowly slid it between Miss Jenny and the bomb. The redheaded woman grunted as Jack slowly lifted her up, and she dropped over the sides.  
"Do you think you'll be able to hold her with your damaged arm?" Jack asked.  
"Anything for Miss Jenny." Alfie replied, and extended his arm, fighting back the pain. Jack slowly transferred her over, and Miss Jenny rested in Alfie's smaller scoop. Jack then breathed out and faced the bomb.  
"Be careful, don't blow us up." Alfie whispered, and backed away towards the door. Jack did the same process he had used with Miss Jenny: he moved slowly forwards, his scoop at the right level. Once he was a few centimetres away, Jack began to slide his scoop across the floor. The plastic box that was the bomb was getting closer, and Jack was barely able to contain himself. What if he knocked a switch, or hit a button, or crushed the bomb: what would happen then? The metal of the scoop made contact with the bottom of the bomb, and then it began to go underneath. Jack sighed with relief, and managed to get the whole bomb inside his scoop. He heard Alfie sighed as well, and Jack looked over at his friend, grinning slightly.  
"Let's go save the day!"

Outside, the Foreman, the Small Controller and the Minister of Tourism had finished their speeches. Now, the crowd were clapping happily as Cedric walked up to the podium. The machines scattered around the car park all tensed up, and each of them exchanged looks with someone else, wondering what Cedric would do. But the architect simply stood there and smiled at the crowd. Jeremiah was standing below, making the front row a bit uneasy, though Jeremiah didn't notice.  
"Thank you everyone for coming here today." Cedric said into the microphone. "I hope you are all having a lovely day." The crowd applauded again, but the Pack remained stony faced. The Fat Controller saw the nasty looks Byron, Patrick and Magenta, who were nearest, were shooting Cedric, and he looked over at the Foreman. He shook his head, silently telling him to worry. Cedric could sense people were beginning to notice, and he didn't need to be questioned by the journalists. He looked down at his three page speech, something he had been working on for months. It was meant to give them enough time before he lead everyone into the hall, but Cedric didn't have that advantage anymore.  
"I did have a speech planned for today," He said. "But I don't think I need two thousand or so words to describe the hotel, when all I need are three: It's bloody brilliant!" The audience laughed and clapped, and Cedric took a little bow.  
"It has been a long, tiresome process, made worse by our links to several missing bodies found, but Miss Jenny Packard and her team have done a fantastic job, and the machines all deserve a round of applause!" And Cedric led the audience in clapping at the machines. They were taken aback by this, but some began to chuckle and laugh.  
"He is throwing us off guard, don't fall for it!" Oliver whispered to Ned, Fredrick and George. Once the clapping subsided, Cedric began to walk off stage.  
"Now, would you all please follow me, and I will begin the grand tour!" He boomed, though without a microphone. The crowd stood up, but The Small Controller and Mr Bowler rushed forwards.  
"The tour wasn't meant to start for a few minutes!" The Small Controller said quickly.

"No harm in starting early if nothing is holding us back." Cedric replied casually, and looked past them for Jeremiah.  
"But what about Jenny?" Mr Bowler snapped. Cedric looked at him, smirking slightly.  
"I am sure we'll find her inside." He replied simply, and walked off to the front of the crowd.  
High above them all, Alpha stared out from a two storey window. He was holding a rifle, and had it fixed exactly on Cedric. All he had to do was pull the trigger, and the nightmare would be over. But there were too many important, innocent and clueless people around, and Alpha could accidentally shoot any one of them. But than Alpha noticed something: Kelly and Isabella were blocking the way, and Cedric would have to stop.  
"Genius machines." The spy muttered, and his finger was poised over the trigger. Cedric began to slow down, preparing to explain things to the crowd. Alpha counted to five, and then he would pull.  
Down below, Jeremiah was moving swiftly through the crowd towards Cedric, shoving chairs and VIP's aside. He had to get Cedric and protect him, but mainly to find out what the change of plan would mean. The big man was nearly at the front when the sun reflected off something. Jeremiah inclined his head upwards, and saw the sun reflecting off the lens of Alpha's gun.  
"SIR!" Jeremiah boomed, and ran clumsily forwards. Cedric had just been explaining the gardens, and his eyes boomed as his security guard lumbered towards him. Alpha saw what was going to happen, and stopped counting and pulled the trigger.  
The crowd gasped at the sound of gunfire, and saw Jeremiah jump on top of Cedric, wandering if he was too soon or too late. But then, a woman at the back of the crowd, a famous soap star, screamed, and the crowd turned as a black ute, Canton, roared out of the woods towards them.  
"CLEAR THE AREA!" He shouted, and honked his horn loudly. More people screamed, and they began to run off in all directions. But they found members of the Pack blocking their way to their limo's.  
"RUN TOWARDS THE GATES!" Patrick boomed.  
"What about the limo drivers?" Magenta screeched, as she, Byron and Patrick pushed through the crowd, with Canton, Oliver and Grudge coming in from the other side.  
"Kelly, let them get to their limos!" Byron yelled. Kelly nodded, and he reversed aside, and Fredrick and George did the same. A convoy of limos appeared, and the guests pulled the doors opened and piled in, not carrying if it was their's or not. Some limos were patient, others sped off while passengers were trying to get it. One person got hit in the side and was sent flying, but no one seemed to notice except for the machines.  
Cedric moaned with pain and discomfort, but as he tried to push Jeremiah off, he noticed something on his chest: blood. Thankfully, it wasn't his, but Cedric still yelled with rage, and managed to push his security guard's corpse off. He looked around, and watched as all the people he had planned on killing: actors, actresses, wealthy businessmen, authors, journalists, possible clients, important figureheads and sports stars. Cedric pulled a gun out, planning on shooting a few before they fled, but he had heard a revving and turned. Canton was charging towards him, his eyes narrowed, but he appeared to have no weapons showing. Cedric laughed and raised his gun, causing more panic in the crowd. But before he could shoot, something fell from the hotel. A second later, Alpha leapt, standing on the back of Canton with his gun raised. Cedric leaped aside as he pulled the trigger, and bullets smashed into Isabella's roof.  
"Watch it!" She yelled, and reversed out of the line of fire. But Cedric charged forwards, and squeezed in between Isabella and Kelly, and made a beeline for the hotel. Canton screeched to a halt, and the other machines came up on either side. Only six limos remained, and all of the celebrities piled into them, with The Fat Controller and Lady Hatt barely making it into a white stretch one. Mr Bowler and the other machines came forwards.  
"What is going on here?" He yelled, and looked at Alpha and Canton. "And who are you?"  
"We're here to kill Cedric Berrob." Alpha replied simply, and Canton charged forwards, and Max and Monty scattered to allow him to pass. While Mr Bowler stood there stunned, the machines are rushed forwards, wanting to see what happened. Cedric was racing towards the door, but Alpha and Canton were getting closer. Cedric looked behind and raised his gun.  
"Watch out!" Canton yelled, but Cedric fired three shots: one hit Canton's windows, one hit the tarmac, but one hit Alpha in the shoulder, knocking him backwards and nearly off Canton.  
"Alpha, are you alright?" Ned asked.  
"Stop Cedric, that's more important!" Canton snapped. But Cedric was nearly at the glass doors, and not all of them could storm the place, stop him, and escape before the bomb went off. Isabella watched the man run, and she felt rage burning up inside of her: if it hadn't been for this project, she might have never suffered from the bomb blast, wouldn't have had nearly lost the majority of her friends, or been insulted by Kelly…  
"I'm going in!" She whispered, but only Kelly heard.  
"Wait, you can't, you'll-" But Isabella ignored him, and quickly charged forwards. Cedric saw her coming for him, and raised his gun, but it clicked uselessly: there were no bullets left. He angrily threw it at her, before walking in through the parting doors. Isabella smiled and sped up, and the glass coming straight for her. But instead of moving through the blank area, the steam lorry drove straight through the glass. Shards of glass rained down upon Cedric, and he ducked and rolled. Isabella screeched to a halt, bit of glass falling off her cab roof, and stopped in front of him. Blood poured from Cedric's back, and he looked up at her.  
"You can run me over if you want, but then you won't know how to stop the bomb." He hissed. "And you and all your little friends will become piles of scrap metal."  
"But you would be dead as well." Isabella snapped back, but it caused Cedric to roar with laughter.  
"I don't care about death anymore. I have avenged my father, which is all that matters." He replied. "If only I had found the safe though."  
"What you mean this?" Isabella asked cheekily, and showed him the safe resting in her tray. Cedric gasped, and tried to get up and grab it, but the glass embedded in his back just caused him to have a muscle spasm. Isabella just laughed, and loomed over him again.  
"Goodbye Mr Berrob, it was a pleasure working with you." She snarled, and raced off across the lobby, heading towards the hallways. However, the machines she was looking for reversed out of the corridor. Alfie was cradling Miss Jenny in his scoop, while Jack was moving slowly forwards, the bomb ticking away in his scoop.  
"Oh my god!" Isabella yelled, and backed away nervously.

"We still have four and a half minutes left, it's alright." Alfie said, and he rushed towards her with Miss Jenny. Outside, the machines cheered at the sight of them, though it evaporated once they saw the bomb. Canton, however, raced forwards, his right wheels running over Cedric's kneecaps as he approached them.  
"Jack, put the bomb in my tray, NOW!" The spy car commanded. Jack was glad to be rid of it, and moved swiftly but carefully around, and lowered the bomb onto the back. Alpha, who had blood running down the side of his trench coat, managed to turn around and examined it.  
"Thank you." He mumbled weakly. "All of you machines have saved many lives. Now get out of the lobby, quickly."  
"Yes sir." Jack said with a beam, and he, Alfie and Isabella raced towards the others. Cedric gave them the evils as they passed, his hands clutched around his disjointed and bleeding legs.  
"See ya around, Ceddy." Jack said, and Alfie and Isabella laughed. But Cedric began to laugh as well, and three machines studied him as they drove out of the hotel. Cedric reached under him, and he pulled out a long, thin object.  
"Alpha's gun!" Isabella shrieked.  
"It must have bounced off." Alfie gasped. The three sped out of the hotel, and their friends saw their looks of concern.  
"What is it?" Magenta asked.  
"HE'S GOT A GUN!" Isabella screamed, and she sped between Ned and Oliver and towards the gate. The other machines began to turn and speed off as well, Mr Bowler getting picked up by Fredrick, and they all raced towards the gate.  
Cedric laughed, and pointed the gun towards them, preparing to aim at their fuel tanks. Alpha saw what was happening, and realised that the Pack deserved to live.  
"Open your doors and activate spring." Alpha commanded, and he pressed a button on the bomb. The numbers changed from 03:08:42 to 00:15:59. Alpha scrambled out of the bed, Cedric not noticing due to his focus on the Pack, and scrambled around towards the driver's seat.  
"I'm ready when you are." Canton said.  
"Then let's do it." Alpha replied, and pressed a button. Canton's bed was sent flying into the sky, a special spring separating it from the rest of Canton. Alpha then floored the accelerator, and they sped away as the bomb flew through the sky. Cedric heard a noise, and turned to see what was happening. The bomb flew through the air, with only two seconds left. Cedric gasped, and watched as it landed in his lap.  
The Pack all turned as they heard the explosion.  
All sixteen machines watched as a fist of orange cloud punched through the front of the hotel. Glass and rubble were blasted across the complex. The entrance piece was blown apart, the rocks and flowerbeds being scattered into the trees and into the pool. The tarmac became cracked, and several cars that had remained were set on fire. As the cloud disappeared, being replaced with flames, there was a cracking sound.  
"It's the hotel…" Nelson whispered.  
"It's going to collapse!" Alfie screamed. And sure enough, two seconds later, the poorly built building collapsed upon itself. Everyone rushed down the driveway, trying to escape the huge pieces of building that was falling, and the rumble of their most prized building, months of hard labour, and all their hard effort came crashing down.

One hour later, things had began to get sorted out.  
Three fire engines were there, dousing any flames that remained from the explosion and collapse. There were two police cars, with some officers interviewing the machines, Mr Bowler, and now conscious Miss Jenny, who had an icepack over her head. Some crime investigators were searching through the wreckage, and Detective Fisher's body was found, along with the remains of Cedric. There was no sign of a burnt out car, so the Pack hoped Alpha and Canton had escaped before the building collapsed. Thumper had come up, and he said that a huge wave of water had poured out of the tunnel, nearly drowning him. While people arrived, including camera crews, photographers, geologists to see the mountain and clean up crews, the Pack just sat on the side, reflecting things.  
Isabella and Magenta were gossiping about Isabella's dramatic confrontation with Cedric, and they noticed Kelly approaching.  
"Shall I leave you two in privacy?" Magenta asked stiffly.

"I'd like to see what he has to say." Isabella replied, looking softly at Kelly. Magenta sniffed and moved off, but still kept her eyes on him. Kelly stopped moving with two metres between them, and he stared sadly at her.

"Look, I am sorry about what I said, it's just-" But the crane froze, as Isabella moved closer.  
"I understand why you said them." She replied sweetly, smiling up at him. "Guys are always mean to the girls they like."  
"You don't seriously think I like you?" Kelly said, trying to laugh, but the red blush marks on his cheeks defeated that. Isabella chuckled, and she kissed his right cheek. There were wolf whistles across the cracked car park, and both machines blushed.  
"You know this is what you want." Isabella whispered, and winked at him before moving towards the others. Kelly remained temporarily frozen, stunned by what had happened, but he turned and followed after. Isabella was approaching Jack and Alfie, who were bidding farewell to George and Grudge.  
"What are you lot going to do next?" Jack asked. George just shrugged.  
"Find work, obviously. And I think we deserve the next big contract!" The steamroller added.  
"Take it, we need a break." Alfie laughed. Some of the machines had been hit by flying rubble, but the main damages had come from the adventures earlier that day.  
"I suppose so." George chuckled. "Well, we better go before we're missed."  
"Bye!" Grudge said happily.  
"Goodbye!" Jack, Alfie, Kelly and Isabella called. George went to say something, but seemed to have second thoughts, and he turned and followed Grudge out past the police cars. Jack and Alfie watched them until they disappeared, and then turned to face the others.  
"I need you to get the safe and stuff off, it feels really icky in my bed now." Isabella said. Jack lifted the safe up, and he dropped it to the ground. The metal box looked very dented and bashed up from the past few months, and it looked like it was about to break. The other machines all came over, staring towards the cube.  
"So… what shell we do with it?" Nelson asked. No one spoke: it seemed like to big of a decision to make. They could keep it for the Pack, but that would be too selfish.  
"We need to give it back, back to the people who Montgomery killed." Oliver said. "They lost family because of this money, they at least deserve to have it back." The others all cheered and murmered with agreement, and Jack picked it up again. There was the sound of crunching gravel, and Miss Jenny and Mr Bowler walked over.  
"They have finished questioning us." Miss Jenny said happily. "It didn't make my head better, but we are free to go at last."

"Finally!" Max, Monty and Patrick moaned, and the others laughed.  
"And you have to tell me what you all did today. I heard I missed quite a few adventures." Miss Jenny said, smiling to herself. She and Mr Bowler climbed into Kelly, and the Pack began to move off. But Jack remained, staring at the mound of rubble that had been a hotel a few hours ago. He thought back to all they had gone through: five dead bodies, numerous trips into the mine, Magenta and Kelly on the bridge, the bomb, Cedric's house, Alpha and Canton, rescuing Fredrick, the incident at the quarry, and how it had all begun with some runaway trucks. Jack smirked to himself, and realised how much they had all grown in the past few months. With one final look at the hotel, Jack turned and raced towards his friends, his family, the Pack.

**I hope you have all enjoyed this series. Please post a review to give me your feedback and suggestions, and look forwards for another series soon**


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